Eavesdroppers Never Hear Anything Good
by DoctorClaryPotterPendragon
Summary: Arthur wonders if Merlin does really always go to the tavern, so follows Merlin along with the knights when he sees him leaving the castle one night to a mysterious lake. And what will happen when Morgana captures Merlin? Freya reveal, scar reveal and eventual magic reveal. Warning: slight torture, Merlin whump
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys so this is my first FanFiction ever so don't be too harsh but please review! Merlin is one of my favourite fandoms and I'm very excited to write this!**

 **Disclaimer: unfortunately, I don't own Merlin**

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Arthur POV

Arthur gazed at Merlin standing across the room during one of the many meetings he had to attend as part of being king. It puzzled him that although Merlin looked tired, he did not look in the slightest bit hungover after supposedly spending the whole evening previously in the tavern as Gaius had told him. And there was the fact that Gwaine said he hadn't seen Merlin in the tavern. Arthur promised himself he would interrogate Merlin later to see if he was really there or not.

Later...

"So what were you up to yesterday evening instead of turning up to work?" Arthur questioned.

There was a pregnant pause. "Um...I was in the tavern?" Merlin replied.

"Funny how you didn't see Gwaine" Arthur commented.

"Yeah", Merlin laughed weakly, "So I'll just go fetch your dinner, prat."

"Make sure you get extra sausages, idiot." Arthur noticed the swift change in topic but dismissed the idea of questioning Merlin further. He knew he wouldn't get anything more out of him.

"Well maybe that's not a great idea, wouldn't want you getting fat dollophead," Merlin called, whilst exiting the room.

Arthur just chuckled to himself. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, that insubordinate, clumsy, cheeky servant was his best and truest friend who he would do anything for. And that is why he wanted desperately to find out where Merlin disappeared off to all the time. He decided to give Merlin the rest of the evening off, and find out for himself.

Just then, he was distracted by his beautiful wife entering his chambers.

"Do you ever wonder what Merlin gets up to in his spare time?", he asked, after giving her a loving kiss.

"I've always thought there was more to Merlin than meets the eye," Gwen laughed, "but although I would love to know his secrets, being one of my best friends, he is a very private person."

"I suppose you are right, my love, there has always been something about that idiot I just can't put my finger on, I just wish I knew what it was."

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Merlin's POV

Merlin shut the door of Arthur's chambers and leant back on it, eyes wide. He wondered why Arthur suddenly wanted to know about his private life, he hadn't ever really done before. _That clot pole,_ he thought. This could seriously mess up the whole 'saving Arthur's backside without him realising plan'. He took a deep breath and sauntered off to the kitchens where he stole a few pies for Gwaine and Percival waiting outside, and collected the royals' meals; after chatting and loitering around for while, for he couldn't ruin his bad servant reputation could he?

He strolled into Arthur's chambers after fixing on a breezy smile in order to not make Arthur any more suspicious.

"Your meals, my great King and Queen," Merlin joked whilst handing them over.

"Very funny _**Mer**_ lin, that will be all I do not require your services tonight", said Arthur.

An evening off? Merlin inwardly celebrated. He beamed at the couple giddily then proceeded to run out of the room in excitement.

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 **So there it is, a slight cliffie, I hope you enjoyed! This is more of a preview the next chapter should be more interesting! Please review and any constructive criticism is welcomed. The next chapter should be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the second installment, hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: The Beebs owns it all**

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Athur strode down to Gaius' chambers to see if his idiotic manservant wanted to spend the evening in the tavern, as it was his rare night off. He burst through the door, much to the surprise of the old man.

"Where's Merlin?", Arthur asked.

"You just missed him, he went to the forest to collect herbs sire," Gaius replied.

"At this time?"

"Um... well some are best to pick at this time of night sire," Gaius stuttered.

Arthur examined the physician suspiciously for a few minutes, before turning on his heel and leaving.

 _Why would anyone spend their evening off picking herbs?_ Arthur wondered. He thought things over for a while, before coming to a decision. He would find out what Merlin was up to.

As he approached the castle doors he noticed the knights of the round table heading towards the tavern. He marched over to them, intent on dragging them along with him.

"So how come you didn't invite Merlin or I?" he said, directly behind Gwaine.

Gwaine jumped in surprise and turned hastily to face his king. The others followed suit and Elyan spoke up.

"Well we presumed you would be spending the evening with Gwen, and Merlin would be working."

"Gwen wanted to retire earlier, and told me to go see Merlin, and I gave the idiot the night off."

"A night off? Well, well, well princess you are becoming soft. So where is he then?" asked Gwaine.

Arthur bit back an angry retort and explained his suspicions and plans to the knights.

"So you are basically saying that you want us to stalk Merlin in the forest? Sure thing princess," complied Gwaine.

Leon trod on Gwaine's foot whilst giving his more respectful assent. The knights all agreed and they set off into forest and began tracking Merlin.

"I still don't understand why you had to tread on my beautiful foot Leon! That foot was my pride and joy!" Gwaine called after 10 minutes of tracking in relative silence.

"Stop being so melodramatic Gwaine," called back Percival from up in front.

"Oooh big word Percy," Gwaine shot back jokingly.

"Would you all shut up," hissed Arthur "We are tracking someone here!"

 _Gwaine is a bad influence on them,_ Arthur thought to himself. He concentrated again on the task at hand. Merlin seemed to be surprising stealthy for a bumbling baboon that he always was around the castle.

After 10 more minutes the group came to a clearing where they spotted Merlin sat by a lake. Arthur put his arm out to stop the knights from approaching Merlin, his curiosity was peaked. The knights looked at him questioningly as he motioned for them to crouch down behind the bushes. They watched Merlin gaze out to the lake and wondered what he was doing in this beautiful place.

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 **So here's the next chapter, hopefully the next one will be out soon x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! I never expected any this early into the story - you guys are great! I apologise for the mistakes with the / and places where there are no spaces between words, I am writing this on my phone and every time I correct them and save it it isn't fixed. I will try to fix this problem.**  
 **Disclaimer: Not mine :(**

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Merlin POV

Merlin gazed out onto the lake that was the grave of his beloved. He didn't get many opportunities to visit, and he relished in the memories of her sweet face that came rushing back to him. This place help him feel calmer, and the intense stress of dealing with Camelot's many issues seemed to wash away from him, his guilt at Morgana and the death of Agravaine and all the others he had killed floated out onto the lake, away from him. He wished desperately to see her lovely face again, hear her melodic voice one more, have one more kiss upon those lips, and he would be content forevermore.

His keen ears picked up a faint rustle in the trees behind him, but he dismissed it as an animal, this was his time and there would be no intruders.

Except there was.

As he stared down at the ground at the edge of the lake he felt cool fingers lifting up his face. He jerked his head up in surprise and fell backwards as he saw the sight above him.

It was her. His beautiful Freya. His one true love gazing down at him.

"W..What bububut how?" he stammered.

"The Sidhe have granted you this one wish, because of all you have done for magic. You were allowed to see me again." Freya said gently.

Merlin scrambled to his feet and without a word, he kissed her.

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 **Sorry for being so short, but I felt the kiss would be a good ending for this chapter - but there will be more to come soon! In the next chapter it will be on Arthur's point of view on Freya's arrival. Please review and hope you have had a good day! x**


	4. Chapter 4

**So here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Merlin**

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Arthur's POV

The knights watched Merlin for a few minutes, before something very strange happened. Something was rising out of the middle of the lake! He sensed the knights looking around wildly in astonishment, but he could not take his eyes off the creature, no it looked almost like a woman, rising out of the water. His first thought as the woman approached Merlin was to jump out and warn Merlin of this sorceress, but the gentle look on her face persuaded him to stay hidden, for a while at least. The knights followed his lead as they watched the woman glide across the water towards Merlin. They were astounded as she lifted up his chin.

Arthur started to move, all the wort scenarios running through his head. _She was going to kidnap Merlin to lead Arthur into a trap._ It was after all, no secret how close the king and his manservant were, no matter how unconventional it was. _Or she would torture Merlin for Camelot's secrets._ Arthur wondered how much Merlin really knew, he suspected he knew more than people expected, he wasn't as brainless as he acted. And Arthur knew Merlin wouldn't give them up easily. He was one of the bravest, and stupidest men Arthur knew. Not that Arthur would admit this, of course. But whatever Merlin knew, Arthur would never let anyone hurt him. _Or maybe this sorceress just enjoyed preying on the weak._ Merlin could be such a girls petticoat, others must have noticed it. Theories flew round his head, each one worse than the last. Until, he looked closer at Merlin's shocked face. He shocked, but not scared, and there was recognition on his face. Well, clearly Merlin was not inany immediate danger, so Arthur once again motioned for the restless knights to stay hidden.

They watched intently as Merlin scrambled to his feet, and were duly shocked and amazed when Merlin, _Merlin,_ kissed the strange, mysterious woman.

Arthur felt almost dizzy as he registered this new information. _Merlin kissing a girl?_ When Arthur set out to find out Merlin's secrets, he had never even suspected a there could be a woman involved. Especially some strange sorceress woman. How could Merlin do this to him? He knew how much Arthur detested sorcery. _But he never pushed these views on others. He may be king but he couldn't control other people's views. He knew some of the other knights, especially Gwaine could be more accepting of magic. He knew he could trust Merlin with his life,_ said a more rational voice in his head.

He was wrenched out of these thoughts by a barely disguised sob.

"Freya?"

He watched the woman cradled Merlin's face and murmur something softly to him. Arthur strained to hear what she said, but couldn't quite catch it. He glanced around himself at the others' faces; Gwaine's look of pride, Elyan and Leon's astonishment and Percival's small smile. He could tell the others had no idea of what was happening either. Suddenly, their faces changed and Arthur quickly looked back at the scene unfolding before him. The woman was walking away, back towards the centre of the lake, away from Merlin, and Merlin slowly sank to the ground until he was kneeling. Arthur imagined Merlin drinking in every little bit of Freya, and his heart went out to him, even though she was a sorceress, the bane of Arthur's life.

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 **So I hope that was ok, the next chapter should be Merlin's POV. Hope you liked it, if so please review ;) x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, sorry for not posting in a few days, I have had a lot of netball on. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Merlin's POV

Freya broke the kiss with a sad smile. Merlin looked at her, slightly dazed from the lustful kiss.

"I must go now, I can feel the Sidhe calling me back," Freya murmured, her breath tickling his ear. "But hopefully we will see each other again." She gave him one last kiss, before turning away, tears running down her face, and walked back towards the centre of the lake.

"Freya?" Merlin half sobbed. There had been so much more he had wanted to say, they never had enough time together. He fell to his knees, taking in every last thing he could see. Every step she took broke his heart a little bit more. He knew right then there would be no other for him, even if he had to wait a century and a day to see her again. Merlin curled himself into a ball, trying to drown out thoughts of Freya and the heartbreak that entailed, by thinking of all the positives in his life. He still had Arthur, the knights, Gaius, Gwen, his mother, and Camelot. He still had a purpose in life, a destiny to fulfil. Slowly, he sat up and looked away from the lake, towards Camelot, thinking of his life there. It had its ups and downs, but he wouldn't trade it for all the gold in the world.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a flicker of movement in the forest. He clambered to his feet, intrigued by the light that looked suspiciously like moonlight bouncing off metal, and then started in surprise as Arthur and the knights rose guiltily out of the bushes. Frantically, he racked his brains to try and remember if he'd used magic recently, as he had no idea how long they had been watching. _And did they see Freya? How did they find him here? How on earth would he explain this?_

The knights slowly approached him, worry and confusion etched on their faces. As they reached him, the tension intensified, and an awkward silence enveloped them. Elyan was the first to break it by quietly suggesting they sit down and get a fire going. Percival and Leon left hurriedly to fetch kindling and the others sat in silence, taking in this new revelation, or worrying over how they would react. Once the fire was burning merrily, Arthur spoke up.

"Who was she?"

"Um, well you see, uh..." Merlin trailed off. He really couldn't think of a plausible sounding excuse. How much had they seen?

"You were kissing her!" Arthur burst out, a hurt look on his face.

"We just want to know what's going on Merlin. We're your friends, you can trust us with anything. We just want to be there for you," Percival intervened gently.

Merlin put his face in his hands, and sighed deeply. "I'm in love with her," he mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands.

"Maybe try without your hands, and a bit louder Merlin," joked Gwaine.

Merlin removed his hands, and said "Her name is Freya. We were very much in love, but she died, and we are separated until I join her in Avalon." He stared at the ground the entire time, not daring to meet their eyes.

The knights glanced round in shock, brimming with questions. Leon started the inevitable interrogation.

"How long ago did you meet her? And how did you meet?"

"It was about four years ago," Merlin began, "We met in Camelot and-"

"So this all happened whilst you were in Camelot, AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?" interrupted Arthur, a wretched look of disbelief on his face. Merlin could understand what Arthur was clearly thinking. He entrusted Merlin with all of his secrets, why hadn't Merlin trusted him? But he couldn't help but feel annoyed at this interruption whilst he was trying to spill one of his biggest secrets. He thought about the web of lies he had had to spin over the years. _Maybe it would be a relief to cut one of those tangled strands_. It was one step closer to Arthur knowing him like he knew Arthur, completely.

"I'll get to why I never told you in a minute, prat," Merlin said irritably.

"Yeah shut up Princess," butted in Gwaine, who could never resist teasing Arthur, even at a time like this.

"And you can be quiet too Gwaine," Merlin said, switching his glare to the surprisingly sober rogue. "Anyway, we met in Camelot when the bounty hunter brought her there." Merlin scrutinised Arthur's puzzled face for recognition, but saw none.

Arthur's POV

In Arthur's head, the cogs were whirring as he racked his brains for anything specific happening when a bounty hunter had arrived around four years ago, but he could only draw a blank. Then he had a sudden thought: _why was she brought by a bounty hunter?_ He voiced his question, to be shocked by the reply.

"She was cursed to turn into a terrible creature at night. Years ago, she accidentally killed a man in self-defence, and subsequently the man's mother cursed her. I couldn't let her die, and they were treating her awfully. I helped her escape, it wasn't her fault, I was going to help her out of Camelot, so she couldn't hurt people anymore, and take her to a place with mountains, and a la…ke." Merlin choked on the last word, and hung his head, unable to continue.

Then Arthur had a sudden realisation. He stood up quickly, stumbling backwards in his haste and shock. He went pale. _The Bastet_. That's what had happened around that time. And Merlin had been acting down around then. Arthur had assumed Merlin was annoyed with him. _Merlin's life doesn't revolve around you_ , Arthur chastised himself. Of course Merlin would be devastated over Freya's death. He was clearly in love with her, and Arthur could understand. He couldn't imagine what he would do if anything happened to Gwen. And Freya had died. _He had killed her._ Arthur felt sick. He remembered that night vividly, and guilt was slowly consuming him. _How had Merlin ever forgiven him?_

Merlin's POV

Merlin watched Arthur's realisation with sadness. He knew he would be blaming himself, but Merlin didn't ever blame him. Arthur was doing what he thought was right, in order to protect Camelot. If anyone, Merlin blamed himself, although he knew this wasn't good for him, and at heart he knew this wasn't entirely true.

The knights around him were shocked, and hadn't realised for a few seconds that Arthur had stood up.

"What's wrong sire?" Leon immediately asked, worriedly.

Arthur stared straight at Merlin. He looked as if he had aged 10 years.

"I killed her didn't I?" he whispered.

 **So here it is, my longest chapter yet, I hope you liked, if you did please review, and check out my other story, also on Merlin! The next chapter should be up soon, and remember, I am up for any one shot requests! x**


	6. Chapter 6

_"How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?"_

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin I would have had a different ending :'(**

Gwaine's POV

The knights stared up at Merlin in shock, before turning to Merlin for confirmation. When Merlin inclined his head, Gwaine leapt to his feet and drew his sword, glaring at Arthur.  
"You did what?" he growled.  
Crazy scenarios rushed through his mind. How could this have happened? Did Arthur get jealous of Merlin spending time away from him? But Gwaine couldn't imagine that Arthur was capable of outright murder for such a small reason. Maybe he's more like Uther than he had thought. Gwaine positioned himself into a fighting stance, ready to defend his friend's honour.  
"Calm down Gwaine, its fine," placated Merlin hastily.  
"FINE? He killed the love of your life and you're saying it's fine?" shot back Gwaine. He could not believe Merlin was taking this so lightly.  
"He was doing what he thought was right, and protecting Camelot. I cannot blame him for that," argued Merlin.  
"This is unbelievable. How can you look this man in the eyes and still call him your friend, after what he did?" asked Gwaine, still glaring at Arthur.  
"He's right you know," said Arthur quietly. "I don't understand how you forgave me."  
Gwaine detected genuine guilt in his voice, and wavered, but still kept his sword pointing at Arthur.  
"Why don't we all just sit down and relax," interjected Leon, ever the peacemaker. "I have a feeling that only Merlin knows the whole story, and we can only judge the actions of others once he's explained it us," he added, looking pointedly at Gwaine.  
Slowly, Gwaine lowered his sword, and they both sank to the ground, looking expectantly at Merlin.

Merlin's POV

Merlin sighed, figuring out where to begin. He knew he could only omit the most private moments – he had to tell them as much as he could.  
"I first met Freya in the streets of Camelot, outside a tavern. It was pouring with rain and she was locked in a cage, wearing a ripped dress. Gaius was with me at the time, and he explained that she must have been captured by a bounty hunter, most likely because of some magical ability. Later, I found out that she was cursed to turn into a Bastet, although I didn't know that at the time. But I still would have helped her anyway. That night, whilst the bounty hunter was in the tavern, I snuck out and rescued her, hiding her in the tunnels under the castle. I returned the next day, bringing some of Arthur's breakfast for her to eat." He let out a harsh laugh, looking towards Arthur. "I couldn't find anything else. That's why I gave you slightly more frugal breakfasts for a few days."  
Merlin smirked at the memory, lessening the tension in the air. Arthur, however did not seem in the mood for their usual banter, so Merlin continued with his tale.  
"I kept visiting Freya when I could, not knowing how I could sneak her out of Camelot." He sighed, wistfully. "We planned to leave Camelot, to go and live in a place in the mountains. Some fields, some cows, and a lake. I - I promised to keep her safe", he said, gulping slightly. Elyan and Percival, sitting beside him, patted him on the back, while the others smiled sympathetically, understanding why Merlin had brought her body to this place.  
Everyone except Arthur, who looked up quickly, pain evident in his features. "You would have just left?" Although he didn't say it, everyone understood he had purposely left off the word 'me' at the end.  
"Wouldn't you for Gwen?" Merlin asked in reply. "But it was not to be. She realised I had a good life in Camelot and tried to escape alone, at night. Then she was found by the bounty hunter, as well as Arthur and the knights. She transformed into the Bastet right in front of them, and when she transformed, she would become a monster, unable to fight off the animalistic being taking over her brain and controlling her. She killed the bounty hunter, but Arthur managed to strike her with a fatal blow. Then she was cornered by Arthur and the knights, and that was when I arrived at the scene. I swear Freya recognised me. She stopped trying to attack the knights, and looked to me instead. The knights moved in for the kill, taking advantage of her pause, but a gargoyle from the nearby tower collapsed, blocking the street. I picked her up and ran off, to bring her to safety. But the blow had been fatal.  
I carried her body here. It was the closest thing to where we had said we would live together. She died in my arms, and-" he stopped, unable to continue. The knights sat in silence for a while, taking it all in. Despite Merlin's obvious need for support, they were unsure of what to do to comfort him. In the end, they each patted him on the back or ruffled his hair, and told that they were here if he ever needed them.  
Gwaine felt awful for his friend, but didn't know how to express himself with words. Instead he hugged Merlin, and looked into his eyes, trying to convey to Merlin what he felt. Merlin nodded in response. He understood Gwaine wanted to help him as much as possible.

Arthur's POV

Arthur felt distraught. All this pain, so well hidden. Merlin should have been able to tell him. Arthur hated himself for what he had done. And he had had to carry her all the way out here, whilst grieving. He couldn't imagine what Merlin had gone through. However, he had forgotten that convenient gargoyle. For some strange reason, he just couldn't get it out of his head. But he wouldn't push it tonight. Merlin had suffered enough.  
He walked over to Merlin, and sat beside him. The others left, muttering something about needing to feed the horses. Arthur almost laughed; they didn't have any horses with them. He needed to let Merlin know he could trust him with anything, and he was there to talk to whenever, if ever Merlin needed him, and he voiced this to Merlin. Something odd flickered in Merlin's eyes as he said "trust", but he brushed it off for now.  
"Thanks Arthur. I just don't want you to blame yourself."  
Arthur laughed. Trust Merlin to think of others in this kind of situation.  
"Same goes for you" he said, smiling at Merlin knowingly.  
Merlin smiled back. Yes, Arthur definitely felt like he knew Merlin well. But, he wondered, would he ever know the mysterious man completely?

 **There's the 6th chapter, my longest one yet! I really enjoyed writing it, and as always please review as it is really motivating and lovely. I will try to update ASAP x**


	7. Chapter 7

_"You look like a startled stoat"_

 **So here's the next chapter - hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer : I definitely still don't own merlin :(**

A week later...

Arthur POV

Arthur gazed at the wall in front of his desk, deep in thought. Merlin was babbling cheerily about something or other, but he let his idiotic manservant's voice wash over him. It was, in fact, said idiotic manservant that he was thinking about. He fiddled absentmindedly with his quill as his mind tried to figure out the mystery that was Merlin.

Since arriving back from the lake, he had been watching Merlin closely to see if he could find out something, maybe catch him in the act. What act, he didn't know, but Arthur was sure that Merlin was still hiding something. Freya was just the tip of the iceberg. He had begun thinking about some of Merlin's strangest behaviour from over the years. Flashes of moments came to him, times when Merlin had been so perplexing Arthur had felt like he could never understand the man. He was like a dark cave – the blackness of the cave could stretch unfathomably far underground, but all Arthur could see was the entrance.

 _"I trust in your destiny."_

 _"It is your fate, to be the greatest king Camelot has ever known."_

 _"I didn't want you to feel as if you were alone"_

 _"You feel as if you are trapped, like you whole life has been planned out for you, and you've got no control over anything, and sometimes you don't even know if what destiny decided was really the best thing at all"._

Did he really read that in a book? How many times had Merlin given such quick-witted responses that Arthur had just passed off as the truth because it was easier that way?

 _"You may be destined to rule Camelot, but you have a choice of how you do it."_

 _"That man is you Arthur. I believe in you. I always have."_

Arthur couldn't understand when Merlin had become so wise, so perceptive and astute. And for the life of him he couldn't comprehend how Merlin always seemed to know, far before himself, who was a traitor to Camelot, and just when and how they were going to attack.

If it had been anyone else, excluding Gwen, he might have let it go. But Merlin knew pretty much everything about Arthur, had experienced most of Arthur's most trialing struggles right alongside him. He had seen Arthur break down, bewitched by a love spell, suffer heartbreak and loss, and betrayal. Yet Arthur barely scratched at the surface of truly knowing Merlin.

And there was what had happened yesterday.

 _Arthur was waiting for Merlin to bring him his lunch. He was late, as always, and probably wouldn't even turn up. He sighed irritably before standing up and went on a search for Merlin. Well he couldn't go and get his own lunch himself, could he. How demeaning that would be, this was what that idiot was doing to him. He decided to search for him in Gaius' chambers first. He barged in through the wooden door to find Gaius making some potions._

 _"Have you seen Merlin? That lazy waste of space hasn't brought my lunch, again. I should have him put in the stocks for this, but I think he actually enjoys it. He is honestly such a child."_

 _Gaius glanced oddly at Merlin's door to his bedroom._

 _"He isn't here Sire. Perhaps he is in the armoury." Normally Arthur would have believed him without question. However, he couldn't help but notice a slightly_ _nervous edge to the physician's voice._

 _"Thank you Gaius, I will hasten there immediately," he replied, exiting the room._

 _However, instead of heading towards the armoury, he walked to the end of the corridor, then turned on his heel and crept back to the outside of Gaius' door. He didn't know exactly what he was listening out for, but something about Gaius' anxiety made him suspicious. His eyes widened as he heard a slightly raised voice._

 _"…and how could you have been so careless again? How many times do I have to tell you? Do you want to get caught?"_

 _Who was Gaius talking to? He had supposedly been alone in there._

 _"Sorry Gaius."_

 _Arthur's jaw dropped. That was distinctly Merlin's voice. Why had Gaius lied to him? What was Merlin hiding? 'What if he has some sort of huge secret?,' a snide voice said in the back of his brain. 'Maybe he has magic...'. Arthur pondered on this for a second, before dismissing the mad idea completely. Merlin. With magic. Preposterous. Merlin wouldn't be able to keep something like that from him._

 _He kept listening at the door for a little, but the conversation had moved on, and it didn't seem like he'd be able to glean anything new. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. Well he needed Merlin to fetch his lunch, and he was right there, so he may as well go in._

 _He stood up and burst through the door again, to the shock of Gaius and his ward. They both went pale._

 _"Ah, well, um… ah," Gaius said lamely._

 _"Well that's amazing, Merlin was here all along! How did you miss him?" asked Arthur sarcastically. He held his hand up to halt any excuses. "It doesn't matter, just go get my lunch Merlin. Like you should have done half an hour ago." Arthur peered at Gaius suspiciously whilst Merlin scurried off, and then marched out._

Arthur had never been so curious about anything. What was he missing? It was like trying to figure out a puzzle, and Arthur's brain couldn't cope.

"Arthur? Arthur? Are you even listening to me, clotpole? You may be king, but this is rather rude you supercilious prat." called the blathering idiot who was the reason for Arthur's current thoughts."

Arthur shook himself out of his thoughts.

"Why would I be listening to your ridiculous tales when I am trying to work?"

"It doesn't exactly look like you're working." Merlin riposted.

Merlin POV

Life hadn't changed much since they'd got back from the lake. Well, the knights had become more considerate, often stopping to ask him if he was okay, but all the other parts of his life had stayed relatively normal. The only odd thing, and he wasn't certain, was that Arthur seemed to spend large amounts of time just watching him. Sometimes Merlin would catch him out of the corner of his eye, staring fixedly at Merlin as if trying to solve a complicated puzzle. As he cleaned Arthur's chambers, Merlin looked worriedly at the constipated expression on Arthur's face as he babbled on about a funny conversation he had overheard at the market. Arthur looked as though he was thinking very hard. He cast his thoughts back to the previous day.

 _Merlin was sitting in his room, doing several chores at time, whilst reading his magic book. He had thought, stupidly, that he would be completely safe. After all, why would anyone be searching for him? Gaius knew what he was doing, having come in a few minutes earlier, but with the stress of Morgana and everything happening at the time, he had let him carry on with only a slight reprimand and warning. And then, Merlin had heard Arthur entering and asking where he was. He froze, hoping Gaius would come up with a believable sounding story. He breathed a sigh of relief as Arthur left, but then let out a groan as Gauis told him to come through. He listened to Gaius' predictable speech on his reckless use of magic._

 _"Your magic could get you killed if you're not careful Merlin! And how could you be so careless again? How many times do I have to tell you? Do you want to get caught?"_

 _Merlin was only half listening, having heard the same speech multiple times before. Then there was a loud bang, and he nearly had a heart attack as Arthur walked in. How much had he heard?_

But Arthur hadn't mentioned anything about magic, and as it had now been a day, Merlin assumed that his luck had held up, and Arthur hadn't heard anything magic related. Either that, or he wasn't going to confront Merlin about it straight away. Merlin put on a cheery expression, trying to break Arthur out of his trance-like state.

"Arthur? Arthur? Are you even listening to me, clotpole? You may be king, but this is rather rude you supercilious prat." If he kept acting normal, maybe Arthur would forget all about it.

 **Hope you guys liked it, the next chapter should be up by the end of the week, and as always please review :) x**


	8. Chapter 8

_Yeah? Well at least I don't look like a bone idle...toad."_

 **New chapter, and pretty long as well for me. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: IDOM :(**

A week later...

Arthur's POV

Rustle crash rustle.  
"Shut up _**Mer**_ lin," hissed Arthur, turning round to glare at the manservant.  
"Well it might be easier to keep quiet if you didn't bring so much stuff!" retorted Merlin, impatiently fiddling with the huge bag currently strapped on his back. Arthur sighed.  
He, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table were on an impromptu hunting trip, which Arthur had actually planned in order to keep a closer eye on Merlin. Despite not mentioning anything to Merlin, he was still suspicious that the manservant was withholding some big secret, aside from Freya. He wanted to let Merlin know he could trust Arthur with anything, but didn't know how to express himself. He knew he should just wait until Merlin was ready to tell him, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. And if he did find out 'by accident', he was putting Merlin out of his misery, and got him out of plucking up the courage to spill his secrets to Arthur, right?  
So as they meandered along, with no animals to hunt for at least half an hour - Merlin had made such a racket he had scared all the animals in the vicinity - Arthur was only half listening to the knights conversation.  
Gwaine's voice broke into his thoughts with a question clearly directed at him. "Princess! What about you? What's your worst battle scar?"  
Arthur pondered for a second, and then replied, "Perhaps the scar on the back of the neck the Great Dragon gave me. I killed it not long after though," he boasted.  
His smile faltered slightly and he narrowed his eyes at the sight of Merlin rolling his eyes. Merlin had told him Arthur had killed the beast, and even if he didn't remember it, Arthur had always believed him. But in light of recent events, he started to wonder if Merlin had been entirely honest. Could Merlin have been lying?  
"So what's your worst injury then, _**Mer**_ lin? Did you hurt yourself watching us fight from the sidelines? Or pricking yourself on a needle?" The knights laughed. Arthur knew this was a little harsh, but he couldn't help himself. What surprised him most was Merlin's reaction.  
Merlin turned, his eyes widening, and his faced slipped a shade paler than usual, if that was even possible.  
"W...what? Me? You're right, I don't have any," Merlin replied in a shaky voice. Arthur was puzzled. Merlin never backed down that easily. All of a sudden, Arthur saw Merlin stiffen.  
"Sire!" Merlin called abruptly, all shakiness gone. "I think something's about to attack us."  
"One of your funny feelings again Merlin?" However, Arthur sat up straight, peering into the dense forest. Merlin always seemed to have a strange sixth sense about these sorts of circumstances.  
Then it happened. Bandits streamed out from behind trees towards them, shouting and brandishing battle axes in a way that was obviously meant to be terrifying. Arthur only sighed. This was becoming a little predictable. Now he would have to listen to Merlin telling him how he had 'told Arthur so'. He hated it when Merlin was right.  
Arthur swung his sword at the bandits below him, incapacitating them effortlessly, before jumping off and engaging in battle with several other opponents. Once he had finished with them, he took a quick glance at his at his surroundings. His knights were faring pretty well against the 20 odd bandits attacking them. Though 20 bandits were a pitiful amount against 5 highly trained Knights of Camelot. And Merlin. Arthur suspected however, that Merlin was as usual, hidden somewhere on the sidelines. Even though this could make Arthur think Merlin was cowardly, he had never thought this. Merlin stuck by Arthur's side, through thick and thin, often risking his life without getting into the midst of battle. It was better if he wasn't at risk, Arthur had no idea what he would do without his constant companion. It was enough that Merlin faced many dangers alongside Arthur, despite owning no armour and barely being able to hold a sword correctly. Arthur hoped he was safe. A new wave of bandits surged towards him, but he dispatched them quickly, conveniently helped by a falling tree branch, which knocked one of the brutes out.  
Looking around, it became clear that the threat was over, and by the looks of things they had escaped without too many injuries. Elyan was sporting a gash on his arm, and Percival was bandaging up his leg, but the injuries didn't seem life threatening. Treading cautiously over the surprising amount of branches that now littered the area, he peered through the trees, searching for Merlin. Then there was a shout from a little way off the path, and the knights sprang into action, looking worried.  
They reached the source of the noise and were faced with a bandit, a dirty, mean-looking beast of a man, who had his sword pointing at Merlin laying on the ground. Arthur could not suppress a small gasp of fright at what may befall his best friend. The bandit looked up in surprise, a manic smile wiped off his face as he noticed the knights. Arthur grimaced. Stalemate. If they attacked him, the bandit would kill Merlin. Luckily, a strong wind whipped up and disorientated them all. Arthur got his bearings straight and charged the confused bandit and began combat. As Arthur finished him off, the bandit whipped his head to look at Merlin, who was in the process of clambering to his feet, and pointed a dirty finger at him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then breathed his last and fell still. Arthur looked at the body in with a dull sorrow. No matter how much of a threat they posed to Camelot and his people, Arthur still despised killing others. As the battle adrenaline left him he turned to Merlin, stepping closer and attempting to lift off Merlin's shirt in order to see the wound on the man's shoulder. But Merlin backed away, waving him off and insisting he was fine.  
"Merlin, that looks fairly deep. I need to see to it so it so you don't lose too much blood and it doesn't get infected."  
The knights had dispersed, once insuring that Merlin wasn't in any critical danger, to collect the horses and clear the path of bodies. So Arthur had no back up in trying to persuade Merlin to let him help.  
"I'm fine Arthur. I'm the physician's apprentice around here, I know what I'm doing."  
"At least let me bandage it up. You can't do that one handed."  
"Fine," Merlin submitted. "But the shirt stays on."  
It puzzled Arthur why Merlin felt so self-conscious about his body. He was forever avoiding showing any skin around the knights, and when they went swimming in the lake he never took his shirt off, unlike the others. Sure, Merlin was incredibly skinny, and wouldn't have the muscular, battle-hardened body of a knight, but Arthur couldn't imagine Merlin being ashamed of this fact. He was amongst friends, who wouldn't put him down in that way. So what did he have to hide? The young man seemed to be one mystery after another.

Merlin POV

Merlin winced as Arthur bandaged up his wounded shoulder over his shirt. He knew Arthur was sceptical as to why Merlin refused to take off his shirt. However, he had a good reason. His front and back were mapped with scars from all of his misadventures and mishaps as he tried to protect Arthur and Camelot, and as blind as Arthur seemed to be, he knew he would have a hard time explaining the wounds away.  
He still couldn't believe that he had let the bandit get him. He had been concentrating so hard on protecting the King that he hadn't noticed the man sneaking up behind him until it was too late. The only warning he'd had was a slight rustling behind him, and the hairs on the back on his neck pricking up. He had turned just in time to see a sword swinging towards him, slicing into his shoulder instead of another, more vital body part. Merlin gulped. He was so surprised that he hadn't used magic to protect himself for a second, until his instincts kicked in and a magical shield had appeared in front of him. The bandit's eyes had widened in recognition of the magic. However, he hadn't been able to get rid of the attacker as his cry had alerted the knights, who had come rushing through the trees.  
"You really are an idiot you know Merlin," Arthur growled in frustration, fumbling with the bandage. "Just take off your shirt! And it would help if you stopped moving around so much."  
Merlin turned and glared at Arthur. "No." he said defiantly.  
"I can take over if you are struggling Sire" sniggered Elyan.  
"I can manage." Arthur replied petulantly. "It's this clotpole who's making it difficult."  
"Hey that's my word," whined Merlin.  
Arthur finished wrapping up the wound, and cuffed Merlin over the head.  
"Oi! Please don't abuse me. I'm an invalid over here, dollophead," he moaned.  
"Yeah, an invalid who is well enough to refuse proper treatment, so you can't complain in my books." The group settled into an easy banter, blissfully unaware of the day's repercussions.

Morgana's lair, two days later

Morgana was perched on a high backed chair, a crude imitation of the throne of Camelot. Her hair was wild and tangled, her skin drawn and eyes menacing.  
"You say you bring 'important' news. It had better be good," she sneered disinterestedly.  
The bandit kneeling before her looked up nervously, before beginning to speak. "Two days ago, my bandits and I came across Prince Arthur, four Knights of Camelot and a serving boy. The prospect of riches were great, so we attacked them, and as we were fighting them, I saw the serving boy sneak off to the sidelines. I watched him there for a moment, and saw him do a spell. The King's servant is a sorcerer, milady!"  
By this time Morgana was sat up straight, listening closely. "And this servant. What did he look like? Was he skinny, with raven hair?" she questioned impatiently.  
"Yes!" replied the bandit excitedly. "That was him!"  
Merlin, thought Morgana. Surely the bandit must have been wrong. Merlin couldn't have been a sorcerer all this time. But all those odd moments where Merlin seemed to know slightly too much, or be just in the right place at the right time. They could all be explained with magic. He must have kept it hidden from everyone, for years. And in all those years he had never once helped her. Merlin must have understood her, could easily have encouraged her. But instead, he had left her to her fate, even tried to kill her. Anger started to boil in her stomach.  
Then a thought occurred to her. If Merlin was actually a sorcerer, he should know the whereabouts of Emrys. She could capture him, find out the location of Emrys, Camelot's secrets, get her revenge on him, and lure her brother straight to her. The plan had no downfalls. It was perfect.  
"And then?"  
"I sent one of my men to dispose of him, whilst I rushed to fight the King. Unfortunately, that accursed sorcerer knocked me out and my men clearly failed to kill him. When I woke up the knights were nowhere to be seen. I snuck away immediately, and came straight here, milady."  
Morgana surveyed the man before her appreciatively. He was well spoken and educated for a man of his standing, unlike most of the moronic bandits out there. He could be useful in the future. She decided she liked him.  
"You will be well rewarded for this information. I trust you will stay within my services, and inform me of anything more you find. You may leave now."  
"Yes milady, thank you milady," grovelled the bandit, bowing as he left the room.  
"Guards, fetch my generals," she called, an evil grin creeping onto her face. "We have a servant to capture."

 **Here's my next chapter! I didn't know what the leaders of armies were called then, generals, I don't know :P**  
 **Let's go generals, assuming that Morgana's army actually had a hierarchy…**  
 **Also lieutenants sounds weird**  
 **Knights doesn't really work**  
 **Generals it is.**

 **Anyway hope this was good, more coming soon, and as usual please review. Have a great Tuesday!**


	9. Chapter 9

_"You're saying I look like a toad?"_

 **Hi guys, here's chapter 9!**

 **Disclaimer: IDOM**

A stranger approached the gates of Camelot, dragging a cart of wares. He handed the magically forged papers to a waiting guard, whilst another searched his cart. Upon finding nothing suspicious, they allowed him entry into Camelot. 'Disgusting,' the man thought, looking down at his peasants clothes as he weaved his way through the crowds flocking early to Camelot's market. But necessary, he knew, if he wanted to fit in. Now all he had to do was gain entry, infiltrate the castle, and wait for the council meeting to begin, as the informant within Camelot had provided the precise time for.

The man spotted a lone guard standing nearby. With swift, graceful motions he swept them into an abandoned street, knocked the man unconscious and proceeded to swap their clothes. He was good at his job. He strode away after tying the man up. Now he had free rein of the castle, as long as no one realised he was not really a guard. He took up a post within range of the throne room where the meeting would take place, and leaned casually on a nearby wall, waiting.

Arthur's POV

"Rise and shine!" Merlin's voice rang clear through his chambers, rousing him from his slumber. He groaned, burying his face in his pillows. Why did Merlin always have to be so chipper in the mornings?

"Come on cabbage head! You need to get up for that exciting council meeting today," Merlin smirked.

'Wasn't that just more of an incentive to stay in bed?' Arthur thought, as he dragged himself into a sitting position. The council mainly consisted of dull old lords, who disapproved in how Arthur ran Camelot and enjoyed reminding him of it.

"I don't know why you have that stupid look on your face, you have to endure it as well", he said, throwing a cushion at Merlin's head and grinning as Merlin's smile faltered.

"At least this is less lethal as the objects you normally throw at me," Merlin remarked.

"I can always throw this goblet Merlin," Arthur threatened.

"Honestly, the things I have to put up with. What a _great_ king you are." Merlin turned around, looking oddly like he was chewing something. Arthur glanced suspiciously towards his breakfast plate.

"Why have I only got two sausages today Merlin?"

"Hmm… don't shoot the messenger sire, but the Cook told me he is revising your menu slightly. Just to make sure you don't put on too much extra weight," the manservant replied, backing quickly out of the room.

"MERRRLINNNNN," Arthur yelled, throwing a goblet at Merlin's retreating figure. He leapt out of bed to chase Merlin, before changing his mind mid-jump as he realised he wasn't properly dressed. Losing his balance, he tumbled to the floor with a rather unmanly shriek.

Merlin's cheerful face popped back round the door, creased with laughter upon seeing Arthur sprawled on the floor. "At least you're up!" he called, whilst retreating back to safety. "Have a nice breakfast," he added cheekily.

Arthur groaned, and pulled himself back into a sitting position. That idiot, he thought fondly.

Arthur's eyes glazed over. Lord Bevis was droning on, relating a detailed account of how he was worried that there may be rats in his chambers. No matter how many times someone tried to placate the old Lord, he seemed to be determined to bore the entire room to death.

Arthur had to cover up a laugh with a cough as Merlin lent over to fill his glass and whispered "I'll put rats in his rooms if he doesn't shut up soon."

Suddenly, the doors flew open and a guard burst into the room. It was strange, Arthur felt like he had never seen the man before. He felt Merlin stiffen next to him. Something wasn't right. Before the doors banged shut, Arthur caught a glimpse of bodies in red sprawled across the floor in the corridor. His guards. He made to rise, hand on sword, and saw his knights around the table doing the same. But the stranger's eyes flashed with gold, and Arthur was paralyzed, frozen to the chair. His voice wouldn't work, he could only move his eyes. He looked around as far as he could without moving his head, and saw everyone else in the same predicament.

Then the sorcerer spoke. "Don't worry, I am not here to kill anyone. Not even the King," he said, eyes piercing through Arthur, his cold voice echoing around the room. "My mistress wants that privilege for herself. I am just here for the boy."

The boy? Who was this man, and who was 'his mistress'? Arthur had a sudden realisation as he noticed the emblem on the man's cloak. Morgana.

The man strode towards Arthur. So he was here for him, he thought. At least everyone else should be safe. But the man turned at the last moment, heading behind Arthur. His heart leapt to his throat. He knew exactly who the man was after. Arthur could not let this happen, but he was helpless, couldn't even try to protect his friend. Arthur could barely watch as Merlin was dragged towards the exit, his eyes wide with fright. Their eyes met at the last moment, and Arthur tried to convey a message to Merlin. They would come and save him.

After an hour the spell finally wore off. Arthur wasn't surprised no one had walked in and noticed them all just sitting there. Arthur didn't like to be disturbed during these meetings, unless it was an emergency, and they could often drag on for hours. During the hour, Arthur had planned how to rescue Merlin. There had been reports that Morgana was based up north, about a 4 days ride away from Camelot. He would take a small group of knights, just Gwaine, Elyan, Leon, Percival, Sir Averitt, Sir Bertrand and Sir Gerrick. They would be able to get there much faster than transporting a whole army, and if their luck held out, they would be able to rescue Merlin undetected. Arthur felt hollow. His friend had been taken from right under his nose, and he had been unable to stop it. Merlin could be dead by now, and it would be completely his fault. No, he refused to think about that. They would rescue Merlin, and he would be fine. He had to be.

When he could move again, he leapt up, telling everyone to stay calm, and that the meeting was over. He dragged the knights he had chosen to one side and relayed his plan.

Gwaine, eyes burning with fury, started towards the door. "Come on, let's go right away," he cried.

Arthur agreed, making to follow Gwaine, but Leon stepped in. "Wait, we need to think this through better. We need to pack, get horses ready, find out exactly where Morgana is and inform others of where we are going," he rationalised.

Although Arthur wanted to get straight out there and find Merlin, he did see Leon's, as ever, infallible logic.

"Fine. We'll reconvene in one hour in the courtyard. Be ready or we will leave without you", he instructed, looking round.

He sped off, to find Gaius waiting for him outside. He too had been in the room when the sorcerer had kidnapped Merlin.

"My lord, I know you will go and find Merlin. Please bring him back safely, but make sure you stay safe as well. Good luck."

"Thank you Gaius. I promise I will bring him back" he said, smiling weakly at the man he saw as his second father.

He strode off again, in search of his queen, who he knew would be heading back from the Camelot market. He caught her on the way to their chambers, and described to her what had happened. Tears gathered in her eyes, and he held her close.

"Stay safe. Come home, and make sure you bring him back," Gwen choked out, worry for her friend and husband overcoming her.

"How do you even know I'm going to get him? Why does everyone assume that?"

"Because everyone can see the special bond you two have, even if some try to deny it," she whispered. "You are like two sides of the same coin."

She looked so beautiful. Arthur pulled her in for a lasting kiss, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't be their last. She pulled away reluctantly, and exclaimed "I shall pack for you! Stay safe my love."

Gwen looked at Arthur for a second, as if memorising his face, then left, intent on doing whatever she could to help.

The knights met in the courtyard, all their affairs in order. Percival handed Arthur the maps, and they set off to save their friend.

The man teleported Merlin and himself outside Morgana's unpopulated town. He grinned to himself as he looked down at the unconscious Merlin. He was going to be well paid for this, and earn his mistress' complete trust. He carried the young man inside, and dumped him on the ground in front of Morgana. An evil grin spread across her face as she saw the prone figure of Merlin on the floor.

"You have done well. For now, put him in the dungeons. I will interrogate him when he wakes.

Her eyes glinted with malice. "I am going to have so much fun with this."

 **The next chapter should be up soon, hope this one was good! If anyone was wondering the reason Morgana didn't kidnap Arthur as well is that she's too scared to take Arthur because of the threat of Emrys. Anyway have a nice day, and please review x**


	10. Chapter 10

_"Yeah. And maybe one day you'll magically transform into a handsome prince. But magic's outlawed so that'll probably never happen."_

 **Here's the next chapter, sorry it's been a while. Just as a warning there is slight torture in this chapter, so if you don't like that feel free to skip those parts.**

 **Disclaimer: IDOM**

SPLASH!

Merlin shot up, cold water jolting him awake. Lifting his hand, he tried to rub his face, but it was jerked back, restrained by something. Awareness started to sneak back to him and he opened his eyes properly, taking in his surroundings. He was lying on the floor, his hands chained together behind his back. In front of him stood Morgana, bucket in hand.  
His heart raced. Yesterday's events came flooding back, and he jolted upright. Don't panic. Arthur should still be safe. You can get out of this. Perhaps he could try to catch Morgana by surprise, by attempting to escape straight away. He tried to subtly use a spell, but the magic refused to work, burning under his skin.  
"You didn't seriously think I would let a sorcerer stay down here without magical restraints did you?" Morgana taunted.  
…A sorcerer? Did that mean she knew about his magic? And what kind of restraints did she mean? Merlin tried another spell but his magic stayed stubbornly dormant. He began to panic. This would be a lot harder than he first thought.  
As if in answer to his questions, Morgana spoke again. "I took the precaution of placing magic restricting handcuffs on you. Normally, I wouldn't have. After all, you're nothing but a serving boy. But a bandit came to me with the strangest story the other day Merlin." She smirked, eyes glinting maliciously. "He claimed to have seen you using magic."  
He froze. How could he have been so stupid? His greatest secret, Camelot's biggest advantage, delivered straight to the enemy. Merlin cursed his own carelessness.  
"I have to admit Merlin, you hid it well. I never even suspected. But now your secret is gone, and I need some information from you. And, if we are lucky, Arthur won't be able to stay away from his manservant for too long."  
Merlin's heart sank. Arthur couldn't come here, it would be too dangerous. But in his heart, Merlin knew he would, and almost, slightly selfishly prayed Arthur would come to rescue him. Without his magic, he was powerless.  
Morgana wrenched him to his feet, shoving him out through the doorway. As he was bullied along hallways, away from the dungeon, Merlin thought apprehensively about what she was going to do to him. He didn't expect it to be at all pleasant, Morgana had transformed from a kind, caring woman to someone cold hearted and ruthless. And it was all his fault. He also wondered how much Morgana knew. Did she know he was Emrys?  
They stopped in a large room. Morgana's eyes flashed, and Merlin felt himself lifted into air, and his handcuffs attached to a hook on the ceiling. His shoulders were wrenched into an awful position, and Merlin hung there, feet inches from the ground.  
"Not very talkative today, are we? Not at all like your normal annoying self."  
"Go to hell Morgana," Merlin swore.

"Feisty. But I think you will find I am the one with the power here, and you are the one with the information." Morgana laughed cruelly brandishing a sharp looking knife.

Arthur POV

Arthur was becoming frantic. Images of Merlin, bruised and beaten haunted him. He became reticent with his knights as they rode out north, ignoring their feeble attempts at conversation and preferring to ride with Gwaine, who had spent the whole time staring angrily ahead. Merlin had been in Morgana's clutches for a whole day already. She could be doing anything to him.  
Merlin had suffered enough with Freya's death, he didn't deserve this. There had been so many things Arthur had wanted to say to Merlin, especially about Freya, but he had been too afraid.  
He hadn't wanted to rest the night before, but Leon and the others, excluding Gwaine, had insisted on rest for themselves and the horses. Arthur had also refused food, thinking that Merlin would probably be going without, but Percival had quietly persuaded him by saying he needed to keep his strength up if he wanted to save Merlin.  
It was strange, the lengths Arthur would go to for the young man. Even the knights noticed it. Arthur was usually a stoic person, and wouldn't dream of any public emotional outbursts, but when it came to Merlin, the knights had got used to this kind of behaviour from the King.  
They were still over 3 days from Merlin. Arthur just hoped Merlin could last that long.

Merlin POV

Merlin bit his cheek sharply as Morgana carved into the skin on his abdomen. He refused to scream, refused to show any sign of weakness.  
"A fascinating set of scars you have here, Merlin," Morgana murmured. "I wonder if Arthur knew about everything you have done for him, and found out about your magic, if he would still execute you. I believe he would. So why do all the things you have clearly done for him? TELL ME," she shrieked suddenly, dragging the knife sharply down Merlin's body. Blood spattered the cracked stone floor.  
"Because he's a great king, and I am his friend," Merlin gasped. He wouldn't reveal Arthur as the Once and Future King.  
"Friend," sneered Morgana. "Arthur wouldn't be friends with a lowly servant, not truly. And you, you just stab your friends in the back."  
"You don't understand. I had to, I didn't want to poison you."  
"I don't care anymore. I will become the rightful Queen of Camelot, and you will help me by telling me what you know, willingly or not."  
"Never," Merlin growled.  
"Oh I think you will," she laughed coldly. "Now, who is Emrys?" Morgana asked, cutting into him again.  
Merlin stayed silent, even though he felt like he was being sliced into ribbons. He tasted iron in his mouth as he continued to bite the inside of his cheek.  
"Well, it looks like we will have to resort to more painful methods," leered Morgana. She walked over to the table of torture instruments and plucked out a deadly looking whip.  
"I think this will do nicely."  
For the next half hour all that could be heard in the castle was Merlin's piercing screams. The pain overcame him, and he felt himself sinking into blackness, a welcome release. He hadn't let anything slip. Yet.

Arthur POV

The knights were thundering along, and in their haste did not notice for a minute that their king was no longer riding beside them. They slowed to a halt and doubled back, worried for their king. They found Arthur on his horse in the middle of the path, swaying dangerously, clutching his forehead.  
Arthur saw blackness as screams reverberated within his head. Most were incoherent, but he could make out a few, which sounded like "Arthur". Was it Merlin? What was happening to him? How could Arthur hear him? He felt himself slipping off his horse, but could not stop himself, he was too stuck in his head. He only returned to full consciousness as he felt himself being laid on the ground, and as he heard worried voices calling his name.  
He sat up slowly, until a particularly loud, pain filled scream rang through him, and he fell back to the ground in pain. Then, all went quiet. He had never realised how silent and peaceful his brain was until now. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing worried faces peering down at him. He stood up shakily, leaning heavily on Elyan's arm. He brushed off the questions fired at him for a few moments, before murmuring, "Merlin. I heard him screaming in my head." He glanced round, seeing the knights look at him in puzzlement. He could tell what they were thinking. 'Has the King gone mad?'  
"I can't explain it, I don't really understand it myself, but it was definitely Merlin screaming." He shuddered, before realising his own words.  
"We need to get to him. Now. The screams have stopped, something's happened." He tried to climb onto his horse, but fell back into Elyan's arms, exhausted by his ordeal.  
"Let's rest. We can't travel with you in this state sire," suggested Leon.  
"But we need to get to Merlin. He's suffering," Arthur protested frantically. He could see Gwaine fidgeting as well, wanting to get to Merlin.  
"The screams have stopped. He is fine for now, let's just take 40 minutes to recuperate," said Gerrick, pleadingly.  
"30 minutes. Then we go," compromised Arthur. _Just hang in there Merlin._

 **Please review if you found this good, I'll get the next chapter out ASAP x**


	11. Chapter 11

_"Is your little bottom sore?"_

 **Hi guys, chapter 11 here - again there is torture in parts of this one, so feel free to skip those bits.**

 **Disclaimer: Merlin is still, unfortunately, not mine**

Merlin POV

Merlin woke up alone in his cell, and shuddered as he heard sharp footsteps echoing down the corridor towards him. Morgana. He sucked in a breath, wincing as his ribs moved painfully. Trying to stay positive, he thought about how it would at least be good to get away from the dank cell he was residing in. Staying positive was the only chance he had at not breaking. Positivity is key, he thought, repeating it in his head like a mantra. Holding his head up high, he glared at Morgana defiantly as she unlocked the cell door.

"Now, now Merlin, there's no need for that. Are you feeling up to telling me some information, or do you need a little more...persuasion?"

"I'll tell you something Morgana," Merlin admitted.

"Yes? Go on," she said, stepping forward excitedly.

"I'm loyal to Arthur, and will never say anything," he finished triumphantly.

The excited smile turned into a deadly glare. Eyes flashing angrily, she growled, "You always were an insufferable fool, loyal to the one that would kill you if he knew your true nature."

"Ah, but we were friends once, weren't we?" Merlin replied sadly.

"I had thought so, but wrongly. We were never truly friends, and I will never again make the mistake of trusting you," she spat. "If you won't tell me of your own free will, then we will have to go back to other methods again. I will break you," she hissed.

Merlin hung his head in sadness. This was it, she was too far gone, beyond recognition and hope of redemption. Clearly, Morgana's actions yesterday were not just out of sudden anger and rage, but calculating, and she had enjoyed it. Again, Merlin prayed that help would come.

Arthur POV

There hadn't been anymore screaming in his head. However, Arthur wasn't sure if this was good or not. At least the screams meant Merlin was still alive. Now his head was devoid of sound, it felt empty. Merlin would have made a joke about that.

Occasionally, Arthur felt the scrutinising gazes of his fellow knights, trying to figure out what had happened, if Arthur had really heard the screams, or checking to see if he was okay. But if they wanted answers, they would be asking the wrong man. Arthur was as confused as they were, and kept drawing a blank as tried to figure it out. Maybe his hyperactive brain, muddled by lack of sleep and worry, had imagined the whole experience. Or maybe he and Merlin had formed an intense bond over the years they had been friends. They did spend and abnormal amount of time together. This sounded unlikely to Arthur though. Was that even possible? He would question Gaius if they returned with Merlin. No, when. When they returned. 'Positivity is key', he suddenly thought. The thought resounded through him, and he couldn't forget it. It spurred him on, and he felt his worries recede slightly. They would find Merlin, and they would rescue him.

Merlin POV

Watching as Morgana prowled round him like a gryphon circling its prey, Merlin assessed his injuries from yesterday. Some potentially broken ribs, blood loss, various gashes and cuts, damaged shoulders. He just hoped infection wouldn't set in, although it seemed likely in the awful conditions of his cell. As she turned her back on him, Merlin attempted to call to Kilgharrah telepathically, but seemingly to no avail, as he didn't receive a reply. It had been a shot in dark, but he'd really hoped it would work.

Morgana turned to face him, wielding the knife, still covered with his dried blood. Smiling wickedly, she pressed the knife into a deep wound on his shoulder that she had inflicted the previous day. Merlin tried to picture Camelot, and all of his friends and family, even Freya, to try and take his mind off the cruel, intense pain. Without warning, Morgana jabbed the knife into his side, whilst snarling "Speak!" in his ear.

Unable to keep it in, Merlin screamed in agony. It just hurt so much, at least if he died he would be with Freya, Will, Lancelot, and his father. But a little voice whispered in the back of his mind that he had to keep fighting, for Arthur. Who else could protect him and Camelot? He would not give in. He began chanting "Arthur" in his head so he wouldn't forget why he wanted to live through this.

"Why speak that man's name? He'll kill you if I don't first," said Morgana derisively.

Merlin looked at her with contempt, but stayed silent.

"Answer this then! Who is Emrys?" shrieked Morgana.

Instead of answering, Merlin cried out in pain as she proceeded to cast a spell which broke his wrist. After wounding him again several times, her anger increased, until her eyes flashed, creating a fire beneath where he was strung. Panicking, Merlin kicked his legs up to get away from the flames, straining his already exhausted arms and shoulders. He could hear her shouting questions at him, the fire rising every time he failed to answer, about how this was what Arthur would do to him if he ever found out about Merlin's magic. This was Merlin's worst nightmare, to be burnt to death, and delirious from pain and lack of food and water, his vision blurred and he slipped into the dark abyss of his mind. The last thing he remembered was a voice he distinctly recognised, calling out his name.

Arthur POV

They had been making good time, especially with his lifted spirits, when all of a sudden, Arthur's head throbbed, and he descended again into the depths of his mind, where all he could hear was screaming. Arthur could definitely make out his name, and he knew it had to be Merlin. He hadn't been going mad the first time. He tried to escape, resurface, but found himself trapped inside his own head again. It was chaos, and lasted for what seemed like hours, until the screams finally stopped. In reply, he gathered every last ounce of his strength and shouted Merlin's name, before passing out.

Gwaine's POV

All he could think about was how he should have been able to protect Merlin better. The only thing he could focus was on his goal, finding and saving his first and best friend. Little voices in his head jeered and goaded him, telling him how it was all his fault, how he had let Merlin be captured. He pushed them away. The self-loathing could come later, after they found Merlin. Then he could drown himself in the guilt at the tavern. But Arthur, the annoying princess, had nearly fallen off his horse, claiming he could hear Merlin in his head, but ultimately slowing them down. All Gwaine wanted to do was to be in their way, but they had to stop and rest. The next day they were making good progress, when they were stopped again by the King halting suddenly, and falling into Bertrand's arms. The knight had been riding beside Arthur and noticed early what had happened, managing to slow down and get off his horse before Arthur fell. Gwaine's first reaction was anger, but his reasonable, rational side took over and told him that something big was going on. He knew Arthur wouldn't just make a fuss like that for nothing. Therefore, he was content to be patient, for a little while at least.

Merlin's POV

Merlin woke up to find himself in his cell again. His throat was parched; he had been deprived of water for the whole time he had been there. With a lack of anything else to do, he attempted to communicate with Kilgharrah again, but without success. Slumping against the wall as much he could without hurting any of his injuries, he relaxed, letting his magic flow around his body. He could feel it simmering against the surface of his skin, itching to be free. Looking down at himself, he realised he was in a bad way. If there was going to be any chance he would survive this, he would need to get out soon. A sob worked its way up his throat. "Please help me Arthur."

 **Poor merlin... next chapter should be up in a couple of days - as always please review if you liked it x**


	12. Chapter 12

_"Yes, it's not as fat as yours."_

 **Sorry for the wait, I have had a lot of revision and netball on but here it is! Again, there is torture, so be warned.**

 **Disclaimer: IDOM**

Arthur POV

Arthur sat back against the tree he was leaning on, exhausted by the mental trauma he had experienced. It meant that Merlin was still breathing, but at the same time he didn't know how much more he could take. He could see the knights watching him warily, unsure how to react as they began to settle down for the night. They seemed to have unanimously decided that the best way to deal with it was to try and baby Arthur, constantly checking up on him, but avoiding any topic of conversation that veered towards what had happened. This was irritating Arthur to no end, and for some reason he felt like crying.  
Bolting upright, he had a sudden realisation. If he could feel what Merlin was feeling, maybe it would work the other way around. Maybe this was a two way connection, and he could attempt to keep Merlin going by sending something back. Letting himself relax, Arthur thought of all the positives in his life, Gwen, his knights, Camelot, Gaius, and of course, Merlin. He let these feelings of joy encompass him, remembering old memories, and imagined transmitting them across to Merlin. After 10 minutes of hoping what he was doing was working, Arthur settled down to get some much needed rest.

Merlin POV  
Merlin was slumped awkwardly against the wall of his cell. His eyes watered as he thought about his predicament. Fortunately, Morgana had finally accepted that he needed nourishment in order to survive and had, albeit reluctantly, ordered the guards to give Merlin some dirty water and a chunk of dry bread. Drinking greedily, Merlin had only had enough restraint to leave a very small amount of the brownish water. And then, strangely, Merlin felt calm, almost happy. As the feelings swirled around his head, Merlin slipped peacefully into the deepest sleep he had had in days.  
-

However, by the next morning, those wonderful feelings had slipped away with the moon, far from reach. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, Merlin was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread at what was to come. Those shoes tapping on the cold stone floor had come to signify pain and trauma to him. Feeling sick to the stomach, he raised his head to look up at the beautiful face leering down at him, contorted by deep rooted hatred. Sucking in a painful breath, Merlin stood shakily, still restrained by chains, his magic throbbing painfully.  
"Since you won't comply with my demands, today will be slightly different. Remember, I will break you," Morgana hissed as Merlin hung again from the ceiling.  
As she dragged a white hot poker across his torso, Morgana conjured images of Merlin's loved ones suffering and dying. Something inside of Merlin broke, and he screamed, shutting his eyes as tightly as he could. But, the images were inside his head, he couldn't escape the horrific scenes. Gwen lying on the floor, blood running out of her mouth, Arthur and the knights dead in battle. It was almost too much for Merlin to bear, as bad as the physical torture. However, he still mustered up all his remaining strength to keep silent to Morgana's constant questioning. Finally, she left him still hanging there, knowing he was close to breaking point.  
The rest of the day passed quickly for Merlin, passing in and out of consciousness. What little sleep he got was haunted by nightmares, the images imprinted on his eyelids. Every movement he made stretched his shoulder muscles, sending sharp pains shooting around his body. The only glimmer of light in his situation, the only thing keeping him going was the occasional voice in his head which sounded just like Arthur. Maybe he was hallucinating, but it was better than nothing. He thought about trying to escape, but knew it was fruitless. Without his magic he was a normal, helpless servant with no chance of ever leaving unless he was rescued. He truly believed Arthur would come for him, he just hoped it wouldn't be too late for Merlin. Because Merlin would rather die than give up secrets that would endanger the lives of others, especially Arthur.  
-

Arthur POV  
They were not too far from where they believed Merlin to be. Arthur had had a distressing day, he could sense Merlin was in constant pain, and although he tried to hide it, the group had had to take several stops to wait out the screams in Arthur's head. Every time, Arthur had attempted to transfer positive feelings to Merlin, but felt blocked by something. Feeling helpless, Arthur rode as fast as he could, trying to ignore the pain in his head. As night drew near Arthur realised they were in fairly close vicinity to the small castle the reports had claimed Morgana to be. His heart rose as they galloped to the top of a small hill, and he spotted it in the distance. They made camp for the night in the forest, so Morgana and her men were less likely to see them. Now they would finalise how to infiltrate the castle. Averitt laid the plans of the castle Geoffrey of Monmouth found for them in the library after the reports had found where Morgana hid out. Arthur briefed the knights again of their roles. Elyan and Leon would wait in the forest on the other side of the castle, and if the guards found out about the others in the tunnel then they would enter the castles whilst they were distracted. The rest would all enter through the hidden tunnels which they hoped Morgana had no idea about, but from there, Bertrand and Percival would split off to distract the guards. Arthur had decided that Merlin was their priority - they would deal with Morgana once he was safe.

The next morning they woke early to give themselves the best advantage possible. After riding the rest of the way to the castle, Elyan and Leon wished them luck, and separated from the others to creep round the back. The rest snuck silently towards the tunnels. Arthur grimaced upon seeing guards at the entrance. It seemed Morgana had known about the tunnels. Nothing was ever that easy for them. But, those tunnels were still their best option, so Arthur motioned to his knights to attack.  
They had been prepared for guards being at the tunnel entrance, but the numbers appearing from the depths of the tunnels swiftly overwhelmed them. Morgana had trained her troops well, and a few had magic, quickly able to disarm them. However, Morgana had so many troops that Elyan and Leon believed the others had not been discovered as no guards on their side rushed away, so they stayed crouched in the bushes, pleased at what they thought was successful infiltration.

However, they had been anything but successful. Unarmed and defenceless, the knights and Arthur were dragged off to the dungeons. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur could see his knights putting up a fight, trying to get free, but his heart just wasn't in it. They had failed Merlin. He may never see Gwen again. Camelot was without her king. Self loathing rose within up his body, choking him and clenching at his heart. He be barely noticed the guards shoving them into a large, dim cell. He addressed his men, telling them that everything would be fine, they would escape from this hell hole. He knew he needed to stay strong, and be the leader a king should be, but no one is perfect, and he told them he was going to have some time alone to think about their situation. The knights nodded their assent, knowing that everything was taking its toll on Arthur. Whilst heading to the far corner for some time to think before his sister arrived, a pile of rags there caught Arthur's eye. It seemed strange that they would be there. It was then that he noticed the chains that were seemingly connected to the rags. He peered at them, then stepped back in shock as it stirred slightly. Looking over again, he spotted a mop of dark hair.

"Merlin?"

 **Bit shorter than usual, :( , but still hope you enjoyed, if you did please let me know in reviews! Shout out to my regular reviewers, you know who you are and it is much appreciated! x**


	13. Chapter 13

**"You know you've got a lot of nerve, for a wimp."**

 **Sorry it's been so long - almost a week! I've been revising for an extra set of mocks this week and been incredibly busy, as has my amazing beta ashi141. Anyway, enjoy!**

Arthur POV

The knights' heads whipped around in shock.  
"What did you just say sire?" questioned Gerrick, rushing over with others. However, Arthur was too busy staring down at Merlin to answer, shocked at the state he was in. Kneeling down beside him, Arthur placed a hand gently on Merlin's shoulder.  
"Merlin?" he repeated.  
But Merlin didn't reply. Feeling sick to his stomach, Arthur, along with the help of the others, laid Merlin out flat to get a better view of what condition he was in. Merlin whimpered, struggling with any last strength he had. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he hadn't seemed to have realised Arthur and the knights were there.  
"Shhh. It's okay Merlin. It's us, it's Arthur. We are here now," Arthur whispered in Merlin's ear. But Merlin seemed to have exerted all of his energy, and slipped unconscious. This gave them an opportunity to examine his injuries, and they eased Merlin out of the rags he was wearing, before a collective gasp ran through the knights.  
Cuts and burns littered Merlin's torso, interspersed with wandering deep purple and black bruises. Many cuts were still bleeding gently, while others were swollen and dry. Arthur had to look away for a second, unable to bear it. When he did look back, a tear slipped down his face.  
Merlin, his brother, had done this for him, for Camelot. The wounds were awful, Arthur had seen less on a dead man. Steeling himself, he took a closer look. Infection had not set in yet, but he had no doubt it would if the wounds weren't cleaned. They carefully turned him over, gasping at the raw whip marks. What Merlin must have gone through. Anger shot through Arthur like an arrow. Even as a trained knight, Arthur believed he wouldn't have been able to take that much torture. Suddenly, a strange mark on the back of Merlin's neck caught his eye. Peering closer, Arthur realised it was too old to have been since Merlin was captured. His eyes scanned the rest of Merlin's back, noticing many other scars that were clearly old. 'When did Merlin get all of these?' Arthur thought bitterly. His eyes were drawn to one in particular, recognising it. A Serket sting? How could Merlin have that? Arthur remembered learning about them as a child from the dusty old tomes his tutor taught him out of. They were deadly - no one survived a Serket sting.  
Arthur flipped Merlin onto his front gingerly. Using a rag to wipe away excess dried blood on Merlin's chest, Arthur straight away noticed a large burn on his chest with horror. How much had Merlin really done for Camelot? Shaking his head, Arthur decided to think about it later. Once Merlin was better he could ask him.  
Behind him the knights were pale faced.  
"He'll be fine. He's Merlin. He rides into battle without any armour," Gwaine whispered, repeating it over and over as if trying to convince himself, pacing back and forth.  
Arthur gathered them around.  
"We need to help Merlin. Let's get cleaning these wounds," he ordered, taking off his shirt in order to tear it into strips.  
Just then, all heads turned upon hearing swift footsteps. Arthur replaced his shirt hastily and stood up in defiance.  
Morgana appeared at the cell door.  
"Hello dear brother. How kind of you visit," Morgana spoke, smiling wickedly. She peered round him. "And I see you have reunited with Merlin. He and I have been having so much fun together."  
"What have you done to him?" Arthur hissed venomously.  
"As lovely as it is to see you brother mine, I am just here for that manservant of yours," Morgana replied, in a sickly sweet voice.  
"You have me now. Leave Merlin alone and do what you like to me," Arthur pleaded.  
"Oh you will get your turn. I think he will be useful for my bigger plans, and I believe it's time you found out about his little secret. Guards! Take them all to the torture chamber," she said, smiling wickedly.  
As they were dragged there, Arthur puzzled over what Morgana could mean by Merlin having a secret. Maybe this is what Arthur thought Merlin was hiding from him. Maybe now he would know, but however curious he was, the young king knew this wasn't the way. Merlin should tell him when he was ready, Arthur realised that now. Morgana shouldn't be the one to spill it.  
As he looked around the torture chamber when they arrived, Arthur felt sick to the stomach. He could almost hear Merlin's screams, absorbed and woven into the walls. The deadly weapons lying carelessly on a table told the tale of the pain and anguish Merlin had suffered. Watching helplessly as a bleary eyed, barely conscious Merlin was hung from the ceiling, Arthur begged Morgana again to let his friend go.  
"He has done nothing to you. Find any last kindness within you please and let Merlin and my knights go. It's me you want," he implored.  
To his dismay, she just laughed mercilessly.  
"Oh you are so blind Arthur. 'He has done nothing to you'," she mimicked. "What about poisoning me when I trusted him? I bet you didn't know about that. And I may be able to use his talents and charm to get the people of Camelot to be on my side when I become Queen after disposing of you. Last time they were a little...resistant. I just need to break him and find out any useful information at the same time. Especially about Emrys," she spat.  
'When did Merlin poison Morgana?' thought Arthur. But he had to shake it off, he needed to think clearly if they were ever going to escape. He trusted Merlin, and could ask him about it another time, along with all the other questions he had of his young brother.  
Next to him, Gwaine screamed as Morgana dragged a serrated knife down Merlin's side. Arthur could only stare in horror, sound trapped in his throat.  
"Silence, knight. Who is Emrys?" Morgana asked Merlin.  
But Merlin just hung there, unresponsive. Morgana grew frustrated and brought out the white hot poker, branding Merlin's porcelain skin. Merlin's raw screams filled the room, and Arthur's head.  
"Fine. Arthur shall know your deep, dark secret. Then you will see how he doesn't care about you."  
At this Merlin lifted his head, staring his king right in the eye with his own dulled, sad cerulean eyes. There seemed to be an apology there, a promise of a further explanation. Beginning to feel scared, Arthur turned to face Morgana as she spun to face the knights.  
"It seems that your precious little manservant has been lying to you all these years," Morgana said. "He has magic."  
Arthur's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You are lying."  
"I could barely believe it myself, but you've lived with him for years now. How did you not notice? He's very deceitful isn't he?"  
Doubts about Merlin's trustworthiness clouded his mind. Reluctantly, he wrenched his eyes to Merlin's, hoping to find confusion or anger, something that would prove Morgana was lying. But to his shock, the soft blue eyes were full of sorrow and regret, only confirming Morgana's claims.

"Why… why hasn't he used it to escape then?" he asked, desperately trying to prove Morgana wrong.  
"Ah well, these little handcuffs stop him from using it," Morgana pointed at his wrists. "I believe you have a few pairs down in your own dungeons. Well, at least they were your dungeons."  
In fact, Arthur did recognise them, had seen them been used under his father's reign. Since Arthur had become king, they hadn't yet needed to be used. Merlin's betrayal fresh in his mind, he looked at his knights to gauge their reactions. Percival just looked concerned at Merlin's condition, as did Gwaine, who also looked full of pride for his friend. Gerrick, Bertrand and Averitt didn't seem too bothered, but looked towards their king as if to see how they should react.  
Arthur wasn't sure how to react. On the one hand, he had grown up being taught that magic was evil, it could turn the nicest person into a foul demon. Morgana was just one example of this. But Merlin was so good, he had the purest soul of anyone Arthur knew. And he had known Merlin years - if he wanted to kill Arthur, why hadn't he? He had had ample opportunity. Most of all, Arthur believed their friendship was real, and he trusted Merlin more than anyone. His conundrum was beginning to make his head hurt. Then he decided to stick with the original plan, save Merlin, ask questions later. Looking straight at Merlin, he gave a slightly forced attempt at a comforting smile. Merlin's look of relief drove a dagger through his heart. The relief there was unmistakeable: had Merlin believed Arthur would harm him upon finding out the truth? No, he wouldn't, as long as Merlin stopped this magic nonsense as soon as they were back in Camelot.  
Switching his gaze back to Morgana, he almost smirked as he saw her look of astonishment. As she strode across to slap him in the face, the feeling that he had somehow triumphed did not fade.  
"Why did you barely react?" She shrieked, slapping Arthur again. "He has been lying to you for years, and you are not threatening to burn him at the stake?"  
Behind Morgana, Arthur saw Merlin's face go stark white. This looked like it was Merlin's worst nightmare.  
"I am not threatening him with that because I do not plan to kill him," Arthur replied coolly. Beside him the knights looked at him with pride and relief, especially Gwaine.  
"I have had enough of this! In another few days, I will have broken him. Guards, take them back to the cell." With that she sent Merlin tumbling to the floor with a flash of her eyes, and swept out of the room.

 **Hopefully the next chapter won't be too long as I have Easter holiday starting Thursday! Although I will be revising lots for my GCSEs :( If you liked it, feel free to review I love hearing your feedback! x**


	14. Chapter 14

**Golly gosh, it's been so long since my last update, I'm so sorry about that! With all the revision I haven't had the time to write anymore, but here's the next chapter so I hope you enjoy! Shoutout to all my lovely reviewers again - you guys are fab**

Arthur's POV

Back in the cell, Gwaine picked Merlin up gently and placed him in the corner, propping him up against the wall. From Gwaine's defensive stance whilst staring suspiciously at him, Arthur could tell that Gwaine was ready to protect their agonised brother, lest Arthur had had a change of heart about killing Merlin for his magic. Half-heartedly smiling in reassurance, Arthur walked over and knelt beside Merlin. Swallowing down a sob, he carefully brushed a lock of Merlin' hair off his forehead and tilted up his chin with his forefinger.  
"I'm not going to harm you Merlin. Never. As long as you stop the magic when we return home, your place will always be at my side," Arthur murmured.  
At this Merlin shrank away, guilt written all over his face.  
"What is it?" Arthur questioned.  
"I can't stop my magic Arthur," Merlin admitted hoarsely.  
Arthur drew back, disgust plain on his face. He couldn't even do this for him. Did their friendship mean so little to Merlin that he would throw it all away just for the ability to do a few little magic tricks?  
"No Arthur, you don't understand," croaked Merlin, cerulean eyes widening at Arthur's expression. "I'm not your everyday sorcerer. I'm a warlock. I was born with magic. I can't give up my magic even if I wanted to. And believe me I have wanted to," Merlin said bitterly. With the weight of letting this new secret out, Merlin slumped back against the wall.  
Stunned by this latest revelation, Arthur stared in shock at Merlin. He had always been told it was impossible to be born with magic, but he believed Merlin after his last statement. Was having to keep his magic hidden so bad that he wanted to be rid of it?"  
Tears began to gather in the corner of his eyes, but he wiped them away hurriedly. He refused to show weakness after all that Merlin had survived. Alone.  
"It's ok. I understand now. You can continue with your magic," he whispered.  
The look of relief in Merlin's broken face lifted Arthur's spirits slightly as he realised that they could make it out of this hellhole. As he leaned Merlin forward to clean his wounds, the young king began to formulate plans to escape.

Leon's POV  
Leon and Elyan had come to the conclusion that Merlin and their fellow knights were in big trouble. After swiftly moving out of the vicinity of the castle, to avoid being captured themselves, they had sat in clearing in the forest, discussing how to break out the prisoners.  
Suddenly, a great wind appeared, and the sound of wings beating deafened them. Drawing their swords they stumbled to their feet, unsure of what was happening. That was when Leon saw it. The Great Dragon. That Arthur had supposedly killed. Why wasn't it dead? And what was it doing here? It landed in front of them, a huge mass of rust coloured scales and spikes, and peered intently at them both with giant amber eyes. The forest behind had slipped into a flat silence, and the air crackled with tension. Leon couldn't take his eyes off the rippling muscles underneath the shimmering scales of the beast, and swallowed a lump in his throat at the sight of its huge claws. He turned and saw Elyan also staring at it in shock and confusion. Although he hadn't been there, everyone knew the stories of how Arthur defeated the dragon. He brandished his sword out in front of him in an attempt to look threatening and in control, and then nearly fell back down as he distinctly heard the creature rumble with laughter. Sword arm wavering, Leon cleared his throat.  
"Begone!" he shouted, albeit a little shakily, in an effort to scare it away.  
But the creature just laughed at him again shortly, before a look of consternation crossed its features as if it was remembering the seriousness of a situation.  
"No," it said.  
It said. It said. It spoke. Spoke English. Gaping in shock, Leon turned to Elyan to find him equally open mouth.  
"Yyyoou can tttalk?" he stammered.  
"Yes, but that is unimportant right now. We need to work together to rescue the prisoners."  
"What? Merlin and the others? You want to help?"  
"That is why I am here," intoned the dragon.  
Shaking himself out of his stupor Leon had one more question.  
"Why do you want to help?"  
"I happen to care greatly about the King and the young warlock, as they will build Albion together. I have not invested so much of my time in them for it all to be ruined now, young knight," Kilgharrah's gravelly voice washed over them and the knights slowly lowered their swords, realising the dragon was on their side.  
"Hold on, you said warlock. Who do you mean?" challenged Elyan.  
"I think you know who I mean," replied Kilgharrah.  
Something finally clicked in Leon's head.  
"Merlin," he breathed. After all this time. Leon had always known there was something different about Merlin, but could never guess what. And now he knew. He just hoped Arthur would accept the manservant when he found out, because in his heart Leon knew Merlin would never hurt any of them.  
"Merlin?" asked Elyan, looking to the dragon for confirmation. Kilgharrah nodded his great head sagely, before speaking again.  
"Now, young knights, we must not tarry. Every second we waste here is precious."  
"Tell us what we need to do," said Leon confidently.

 **So there it finally is, sorry again for the wait, and apologies that it isn't very long. I don't know when the next one will be up, hopefully not as long this time, but my GCSEs are in less than two weeks! It makes me sad writing about Kilgharrah as John Hurt passed away not that long ago, RIP. Please review and bear with me, I will keep updating when I can x**


	15. Chapter 15

_"What did you do? I said distract them, not knock them out!"_

 **Woah, it's been so long, I'm so sorry! But I've finished my exams, prom and got back from holiday so I'm back to having more time and will be able to upload much faster. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Also sorry to those who just tried to read this chapter but it was deleted. I posted it but it came out all wrong, the computer made it go weird :(**

Merlin POV

At Arthur's words of acceptance, Merlin felt as if all his injuries and traumas were melting away. At last, if they could only escape this hell hole, he would truly be free to live as himself. The words _'Arthur doesn't hate you. Arthur has sanctioned my magic'_ kept reverberating around his head, and his mouth twitched into his first smile in days. The dark haired warlock noticed Arthur glance over during his escape plans at this moment, and shake his head incredulously at Merlin's obvious joy whilst lying half dead in a cell. This just made Merlin's smile stretch wider as he felt the bond between the pair strengthen. At least if he died in this place, he would die happy in the knowledge that Arthur knew and accepted his magic.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, whilst still cautious of his numerous injuries, Merlin looked to Gwaine, who was staring at his best friend protectively.

"You okay Gwaine?" Merlin asked.

"Of course I am Merlin, you're the one we should be asking that! I was merely thinking of all the plans I have for your magic. Can you conjure up mead?" the shaggy haired knight questioned excitedly.

Merlin shook his head at his friend's antics. Typical Gwaine.

"I'm not sure. I've never tried. I'm not a big drinker, unlike someone in this room."

"I don't know who you are talking about," pouted Gwaine, barely concealing a guilty grin.

Arthur looked over with playful smirk. "What do you mean not a big drinker, you are constantly in those taverns," he interjected.

Merlin just smirked back smugly, watching the realisation dawn upon his dollophead's face.

"You were never in the taverns were you?"

"Let me just say this, you prat - never leave it up to Gaius to think of excuses to cover for you when you are off trying to save Camelot and your life," Merlin grinned.

As he was sniggering, with some added winces of pain but it was worth it, Merlin felt a slight intrusion into his mind.

 _"Merlin?"_

 _"Kilgharrah? Are you near?"_

Gwaine and Arthur watched confusedly at his sudden silence and look of concentration.

 _"Yes young warlock, I have joined two Round Table knights not far from the castle. I had to tell them of your magic. We need to coordinate an escape plan."_

 _"I agree. Did they take the news of my magic well?"_ Merlin asked worriedly.

He felt Kilgharrah chuckle.

 _"Do not fear, they have taken the news very well, considering the circumstances. Or maybe the situation helped them come to that decision."_

 _"So has Arthur. He has accepted my magic!"_

 _"That is very good young warlock. Now Albion is well on its way to being built. Now, get some rest, I can feel your pain and suffering telepathically. I have contacted the druids, they are on their way to help, as are the Catha if they are needed. Let the others work on how to get out, and report later to me."_

With that, Merlin felt the dragon's presence leave his mind, and he became aware of the two knights staring at him.

"What was that all about?"

"Well, looks like some positive news. We have outside help," Merlin murmured. The knights all gathered round to listen.

"I'm going to summarise this for you. Morgana must not know this yet, but I am also known as 'Emrys'. At least that is what the druids call me. I am also a Dragonlord, and have an allegiance with the Catha, a group of highly skilled magical warriors." Merlin looked up at this moment, cheeks flushed red, at the agape faces of some of his closest friends.

Arthur POV

Arthur's head whirled with this knowledge. His mind flashed back to the second time he ever met his best friends. _'There's something about you Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it.'_ The blonde King's head was full of occasions where they just got a little bit too lucky. This must have been Merlin. All this time. Yet Merlin wasn't finished.

"It's said. Well it's been said. I suppose I am, well they say I am the most powerful sorcerer to ever live," stammered Merlin, face turning an even darker shade of red. "And the Great Dragon is nearby with Elyan and Leon to help break us out of here."

But wait. He had killed the Great Dragon. Hadn't he? Arthur screwed up his face in confusion, but let the matter drop. This could just be another question in the intense interrogation he was going to put Merlin though when back in Camelot, and there were more important things to worry about presently. Like escaping.

LINE BREAK

Arthur sighed as a dirty drop of water fell on his head with a splat from the grimy ceiling of the hovel they were squashed into. They had more or less devised a plan, but so many things could go wrong. As Arthur thought this, Merlin gave a loud moan.

"Dizzy," they heard him murmur, before collapsing into unconsciousness. Arthur slapped himself mentally. How could they have forgotten about Merlin's grievances? Percival placed a large, hand gently on Merlin's forehead.

"He's burning up. Must have developed fever from infection even though we cleaned his wounds. Arthur growled in frustration, stood up and punched the nearest wall in anger. This was all his fault, he should have cleaned them better, he should have protected Merlin better, he should have been a better friend. These self-damning thoughts circled in his mind predatorily, like an animal about to pounce. Until, a placating hand touched his shoulder abruptly, an attempt to comfort him. His shoulders sagged and Arthur turned around to face the kindly, reassuring face of Sir Bertrand.

"He'll get through this. It's Merlin we are talking about," comforted the sandy haired knight, whilst turning his king to face the others trying to treat Merlin.

"But he needs you. He always needs you. Just like you always need him. We all know it, although you refuse to admit it. I've often thought you two are like two sides of the same coin, you know."

Sir Bertrand was right. Merlin needed him, so Arthur would be there. He hastened to Merlin's side, and instructed his men from what little medical knowledge he knew. Meanwhile, he clutched at Merlin's hand, not caring in this moment about the blatantly obvious show of affection

It was a few long hours later that Merlin came round. Along with this, some colour had returned to Merlin's cheeks, banishing the unhealthy pallor that had lurked there. Arthur was surprised; he knew from past experience that a fever as bad as Merlin's usually lasted much longer."You okay Merlin? You've recovered surprisingly fast," Sir Averitt asked, mirroring Arthur's thoughts.

"I'm fine," murmured Merlin, slightly listlessly. "My magic must have helped me heal."  
"Your magic. But isn't it trapped by the handcuffs?" inquired Percival. Who, Arthur thought, didn't seem bothered by the chill in the unforgiving cell, despite having his clothes significantly shortened for use as Merlin's bandages.

"My magic is still there, under my skin and trying to get free again," replied Merlin. "It burns," he whispered, as if just to himself. Arthur almost choked on the lump in his throat.

"Why didn't it stop the fever from taking a hold in the first place?" asked Gerrick. At this question, Merlin let out a choked laugh.

"I've never been the best at healing magic." Arthur let out a laugh and shook his head fondly at his manservant. Typical Merlin.

A couple of hours later, Morgana appeared again. Arthur guessed it was around dawn, as the night guards had recently changed and a new shift had taken over. As some guards dragged them out of the cell, Arthur shared a quick, inconspicuous nod with his fellow inmates. It was time to implement the plan. He only hoped Merlin was up to it.

 **Well, if you liked it, please review and let me know. I will hopefully be uploading a lot faster now. Sorry if anyone felt this was too boring, there will be more action next chapter! x**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sooooo I'm a bad person. I promised the next chapter would be up soon, then it was over a year. I'm so sorry about this, I don't even know why I didn't, life got in the way and it never happened. Then yesterday I was reading over one of my other stories and ended up looking at the reviews on this one and it reminded me how much I enjoyed writing for you guys. So it may not be great, I haven't written anything in ages, but shoutout to my best friend and beta ashi141 for making it 100x better!**

 _"There's just no pleasing you sometimes." - Merlin_

Leon POV

The sun was just rising when Kilgharrah suddenly stood up and nodded to him and Elyan. It was time. The dragon let out a great roar and the knights climbed carefully onto his back. Wings fully extended, the group rose quickly into the air. They flew over the moat and battlements and landed directly into the large courtyard in front of the castle, in front of a row of very surprised guards. As the knights were clumsily struggling off his back, Kilgharrah reared up, pebble stones cracking under his weight, and launched his deadly fire across the court yard, felling the guards there. Once the way was clear, Leon motioned to his friend and they hurried to enter the castle through the main doors.  
As he crossed the threshold, he turned back and gave the Great Dragon a weak smile. The serious knight watched, surprised, as their newfound ally gave him a slight smirk and took off, to fly around the outside of the castle and kill more guards at other entrances.  
It shocked Leon how easily he had adjusted to the idea of Merlin's magic and all the strange things that accompanied it, such as a dragon that was definitely supposed to be dead. He shook his head and caught up with Elyan as they sprinted towards more of Morgana's guards.

Arthur POV

As they were marched towards the torture chamber, Arthur ran the plan through his head. The ever-observant Percival had noticed that the weapons the knights had arrived to rescue Merlin with were actually stored in the room Morgana kept bringing them to. When he mentioned this to the group, Merlin's face had lit up, and he told them how Arthur's sword, Excalibur could break his magic restraining handcuffs. From there, the escape plan had evolved. When Morgana was distracted by Merlin, Arthur would retrieve the sword and release Merlin, who could hopefully help them defeat Morgana.  
The blond king sighed, shaking his head slightly. Merlin said that he was the most powerful sorcerer alive, a fact that Arthur still couldn't quite believe, but his friend was obviously struggling - could he even cast a spell in his condition?

"Are you sure you can manage?" murmured Arthur.  
Merlin just nodded slightly, determination shining through his eyes. Arthur suddenly felt a rush of tears. Blinking them away furiously he stared straight ahead, emotions running wild. How could Merlin still be so strong? How did he deserve a servant that was so loyal, so devoted to Camelot and it's king, even after everything he was put through?  
Their arrival at the torture chamber interrupted his train of thought. They were shoved unceremoniously to the ground as Morgana turned towards them, smiling malevolently at the group.

"We're going to try a different approach today," she sneered. "Let's see if Merlin will tell me anything when it is my precious brother hurting him."

Arthur froze, then whipped round to face Merlin in shock.

"What?!"

Without warning, darkness seemed to spread through his veins, clouding his mind. It felt like he was floating, watching helplessly as his arms and legs began moving of their own accord. All he could hear was his sister's voice, forcing him to walk towards her.  
Morgana sauntered over to the pile of confiscated swords. She picked up Arthur's sword and held it, handle first to Arthur, who watched himself take it.

 _"Hurt him,"_ whispered the voice in his head.

Arthur walked stiffly over to Merlin, who was still knelt, frozen on the dirty ground. The light flickering from the candles betrayed the fear on his face, but Arthur could do nothing to help him. Hands shaking, he raised his sword. Moments before he struck, another presence entered his mind.

 _"Please Arthur, don't do this. You can fight her, you can. Please…"_

Arthur could hear Merlin pleading with him, but the voice was faint compared to Morgana's layered magic echoing through his head, and he could only watch, horrified as he moved the sword forward. His hands shook as he sliced a jagged cut across Merlin's arm, blood oozing quickly from the wound. What was left of him in his mind registered Morgana's foot tapping impatiently behind him.  
"Tell me who Emrys is."  
"Never", Merlin spat disparagingly.  
Morgana smiled cruelly. "Again, then."

This time, Arthur thrust his sword into Merlin's shoulder. He barely heard the servant's anguished screams echoing around the tenebrous chamber.

"Who is Emrys? HOW IS HE MY DOOM?", Morgana burst out, losing control in anger. "Why won't you just TELL ME?"

"I'll never tell you," he gasped, "I would rather die."

"Why are you so loyal to a lowly sorcerer Merlin? What would your precious Arthur think of that?"

"He knows that I am loyal to him and Camelot, and I would never protect anyone who threatened that. That everything I do is for him, always him", panted Merlin, clutching his shoulder in agony and staring straight into Arthur's eyes determinedly.

At that, Morgana snapped.

"Just kill him!", she screeched. "I have no use for him anymore. I will find Emrys myself. Behold the true nature of your king Merlin, a man who will kill anyone with sorcery, just like his father. Watch as your beloved friend ends you."

Gwaine yelled out and the other knights watched in horror as Arthur raised his sword, swung, and stopped. Excalibur quivering in his hand, Arthur's face contorted in pain, his mind twisting and turning in so many directions. He felt himself being ripped apart, Morgana and his own consciousness fighting for power. Fighting to decide; kill his brother or not? His sister let out a piercing scream, flung to the ground as he cried out, and the decision was made. The candles flared and extinguished, plunging the chamber into darkness.  
Suddenly they were relit, as Arthur raised his sword again and brought it down, shattering the handcuffs that bound Merlin's magic.

Silence rang through the hall, open shock on both Arthur and Merlin's faces, only to be interrupted by an echoing scream as Morgana struggled to her feet, face twisting with rage. Arthur quickly ran to help a stunned Merlin to his feet, the other knights surrounding them protectively. It was then that Merlin's eyes began to glow a fierce gold, and he suddenly pushed Arthur away, as his magic exploded. The rush of magical energy flowed around Arthur and the knights, buffeting them but ultimately leaving them standing, while Morgana and her lackeys were slammed against the wall. The ground itself seemed to be shaking, cracks chasing their way up the surrounding walls and detritus began falling from the ceiling. Finally, the rush of magic ended, and Merlin collapsed to the ground.

Arthur sprinted towards Merlin, when a loud crack split the air and a chunk of the ceiling crashed to the ground.  
"We have to leave, now!", Percival shouted, "the ceiling isn't going to hold much longer". Arthur picked Merlin up from the floor and ran with his knights out of the door.

Elyan POV

They had done a good job of finishing off many of the guards on the ground floor of the castle without too much harm to themselves. As they caught their breath, leaning against a wall, the castle's foundations seemed to shake beneath them.  
Leon looked at him, horror dawning on his face.  
"The others, they're down there. We need to get them out."  
"Let's go."  
The two knights searched desperately around for a way down to the dungeons.  
"The earthquake seems to be coming more from that direction", Leon panted flinging his arm to the right. "That's probably where the dungeons are. It has to be Merlin or the witch causing this."  
They sprinted down the halls until they came to a large set of doors, with stairs leading down on the other side. Running down them, they had to be careful as the ground got progressively harder to run on as the tremors worsened and the castle began breaking apart.  
Soon enough, they came upon the ragtag group of prisoners running towards them.

Looking closer, he could see Arthur was holding something- no someone. As they reached the group, Elyan was shocked to see that it was Merlin, and he looked to be in a bad way.  
"Hurry, this way!" shouted Leon, over the deafening noise of the foundations crumbling. "We need to get out before this castle collapses."

They led them back up the stairs, through the halls, out the main doors, across the courtyard and as far as they could get before Arthur stopped, collapsing under Merlin's diminished but still heavy weight.

"What the hell happened down there?"

 **So I hoped you liked it, sorry again. Have already started writing my next chapter, will definitely be up soon x**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here's the next chapter, as promised. Hope you enjoy!**

 _"Have you some kind of mental affliction?" - Uther_

Merlin POV

He woke to an intense pain in his shoulder. His eyes shot open and he whimpered, startling the knights who were clustered above him. Pain burst through his shoulder again and he twisted away, trying to get away. Hands grabbed him, laying him flat again.

"Sorry Merlin, but we need to clean your wounds before they become infected", placated Percival.  
Merlin glanced around, searching for Arthur, however his friend was nowhere to be seen.  
"A'thr?"  
"Don't worry, the princess is around somewhere", soothed Gwaine.

He heard hurried footsteps approach them, and the knights parted to let the blond king through.  
"He's woken up? Oh, thank the gods. Merlin, Merlin are you ok?" Arthur asked as he knelt down beside him.  
Merlin sighed in relief. For a moment he had thought...he yelped again as pressure was once more applied to one of his many injuries.  
This time Arthur clutched his hand and he squeezed it hard as he began feeling dizzy and the world turned black.

When he next woke up it was dark. Looking to his right he saw a fire burning merrily a few metres away, and to his left sat Arthur, staring intensely into the fire.

"Have you been sat there this whole time?"

Arthur jumped in surprise, before looking down at Merlin.

"I didn't want you to feel that you were alone."

Merlin smiled faintly back, recognising his own words from a time that seemed to have been so long ago, just before Arthur became King. Back when Merlin was happier. But maybe this hadn't all been so bad. He was in pain, but Arthur had accepted his magic.  
Merlin stiffened. What if he had lied? Maybe he didn't truly forgive Merlin and was going to banish, or execute him now they had escaped?  
He peered up at Arthur, attempting to gauge his emotions.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I, I, I mean, well –"  
"Spit it out, idiot", Arthur interrupted.  
"I just want to know whether you meant what you said when you accepted my magic. Can I really continue using it, or were you just saying that because of the situation we were in?"

Arthur's hands stilled, the stick he was twirling between his fingers forgotten. He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on Merlin's.  
"When I first found out you had magic, I was devastated. I thought that all this time you had been betraying me, that you were a traitor to Camelot and our friendship. But I had time to think in that cell and I realised, you saved my life. And not just physically, although clearly, you've done that many times over the years. You've made me the man I am today, you've changed me. Without you, I'd be a spoilt brat sitting on a throne I didn't deserve. From the beginning I knew you were strange, but somehow with your complete lack of discipline, and your incredible loyalty, you became my best friend, my brother."

Merlin let out a breath of air he didn't even know he was holding in. His insides were swirling, and he couldn't remember a time he had felt happier. It had all been worth it.  
"Well that was the longest speech you've ever given that I didn't write for you."  
"Merlin!"  
"I'm joking, I'm joking. Thank you, Arthur. Even though you are an insufferable cabbage head, you're my brother too."

"If you two are finished gossiping over there, some of us are trying to sleep", grumbled Gwaine.

Merlin chuckled, grinning at Arthur, and closed his eyes, slipping gently back to sleep.

Arthur POV

The next morning, they readied themselves for the long journey back to Camelot. They were without horses, which meant that they were going to have to walk the long path back to the castle. He glanced worriedly over at Merlin. He was still so weak, and his injuries susceptible to infection. Arthur just hoped he could last until they got him back to Camelot.  
He cast his thoughts to Morgana. Had she survived? Or had she been crushed to death by the castle? He hoped for the second option, but Arthur doubted they had gotten rid of her that easily. At least with her fortress destroyed, it should be a while before she tried anything again. And with his knowledge of Merlin's magic, hopefully they would be ready this time.

When everything was packed up, Arthur gently lifted a still unconscious Merlin into his arms, and the group set off.

They had been walking for a couple of hours when Merlin began thrashing about and screaming, nearly throwing himself to the ground. Arthur immediately halted, laying down Merlin and trying to calm him down.  
"Stop everyone. We need to stop. What do we do?"  
Percival laid his hand on Merlin's forehead, looking concerned.  
"He has a fever. One of his wounds must be infected."  
Gwaine looked around frantically.  
"How do we help him? Merlin's the only one who's good at this stuff. Come on, someone must know, we need help."  
Suddenly Bertrand looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Who are they?", he said, standing up straight and drawing his sword.

Everyone turned to face a large group of people walking through the trees towards them.  
"They look like Druids", said Leon.  
"That is correct" said the man leading the group. "We are here to help."  
"But how did you know we were here?"  
"Our meeting today has been long prophesied, King Arthur. Where is Lord Emrys?"  
"Lord Emrys?" asked Elyan. "Who's that when he's at home?" Lord Emrys, wondered Arthur. Merlin was a Lord? A man who cleaned his socks every day was a Lord?

"Can we concentrate on Merlin? Gwaine cut in, frantically. "He's barely breathing. Can you help him?"  
"That is what we are here to do. Bring him and follow us."  
The man's tone clearly expected no argument, and Arthur briefly considered questioning the figure further. They could be about to walk into a trap and end up back in Morgana's clutches. It was clear though that Merlin was struggling, and if there was even a chance of some help, he had to try it. He couldn't let Merlin die, and it seemed like the druids were their only hope.  
They followed the group, Gwaine carrying Merlin's unconscious form. After several minutes, they came to a large clearing with filled with tents.

Arthur stopped for a second, taking it all in. Children were darting between trees, shrieking in joy, and wonderful smells of food wafted towards them. Even though the very air seemed tinged with magic, Arthur had not felt this safe and secure since he left Camelot. Did all druid camps look like this, feel like this? He supposed that in the past he had been too busy attacking these places instead of taking it all in. Arthur felt alive but simultaneously at peace in the verdant forest, an achievement for a knight used to feeling the most alive in battle.

He shook himself out of his daze. He needed to concentrate on Merlin right now.

 **Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think x**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here we go, here's the next chapter for you lovely readers to (hopefully) enjoy. Bit short maybe, but I will hopefully have the next one up soon**

 _"Probably" - Merlin_

 _"I'm looking into it Sire" - Gaius_

Gwen POV

Staring out of a castle window, Gwen sighed worriedly to herself for what felt like the hundredth time since Merlin had disappeared. The last patrol had just arrived back empty handed, claiming not to have seen hide or hair of any missing knights, princes or manservants. She had no idea what was left to do, bar riding out herself to look for them. They had so far been able to keep the fact that the King was missing from Camelot a secret the citizens, declaring that he was on a long hunting trip, but it couldn't last much longer. Eventually word would get out that he was missing.  
She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Gaius. He had been her rock this whole time, supporting her while some of the council members seemed to be constantly against her.  
"They will come back, all of them," murmured the old physician. "Merlin won't let anything happen to Arthur and Arthur won't return home without him."  
But his words did not fully reassure her. Her brother, husband and best friend were out there, probably hurt, or in danger, and she did not know what she would do if any of them didn't come back.

Arthur POV

Gwaine carried Merlin into the large tent in the centre of the camp and laid him down on a rickety camp bed. Merlin stirred slightly and was clearly struggling to breathe.  
One druid gently moved him away from his servant's side as others surrounded the boy and began chanting in a strange language while applying pastes and ointments to his many wounds.  
Arthur watched in strange fascination as they peeled away the rags barely covering Merlin's body, feeling sick to his stomach. He finally dragged his eyes away when a druid spoke to him.  
"We will tend to you as well, my lord," the red-haired druid said softly.  
"I'm fine, concentrate on Merlin."  
"He has more than enough people attending to him, sire, you need treatment as well."  
Arthur looked around. Around the camp, his knights were also receiving treatment.  
"Fine," the king reluctantly replied.

Once they had treated his wounds, the red-haired druid brought him some light bread and water. Arthur was ravenous, but after days of starvation he couldn't stomach anything else.  
"Thank you. What is your name?" he asked before greedily stuffing his mouth full of bread.  
She looked taken aback for a moment before replying.  
"Cara, my lord"  
Gulping down his mouthful, he smiled at her.  
"Thank you all for your kindness and hospitality today. We are most grateful."  
After all, although he had made peace with the druids a while ago, he had not had much contact with them since and had given them no real reason to trust him. Now he knew and accepted Merlin's magic, he should really get to know other magic users in his kingdom.  
Thinking of Merlin, he looked over to his manservant, still lying unconscious on the small bed with druids bustling around him.  
The fact that they treated his scruffy haired friend as royalty still shocked Arthur. Then again, it was such a Merlin thing secretly being a Lord but also being humble enough to be a lowly servant. Not that Arthur had seen him as just a servant in years.  
It was a few hours later when Merlin finally fully came around. Arthur had been sat by the fire, talking to his knights and some druids in an attempt to distract himself when a druid hurried over to them.  
"He's awake, and asking for you, Your Majesty."  
He shot to his feet, closely followed by Gwaine. Although he wanted to speak to Merlin alone, Arthur also knew that this was just as tough on Gwaine as it was on him.  
As they approached his friend's prone body, Arthur could not help a tear escape his eye. Everything they had been through was suddenly catching up with him. He brushed it away quickly before anyone could see and moved closer until he was kneeling beside Merlin's bed.  
"Thank the gods, Merlin, you're alright."  
"You were worried about me," Merlin attempted a smirk before groaning in pain.  
"No, course not. Gwen would have killed me if I had returned without you," Arthur softly retorted.  
"Don't believe a word he says; the princess here hasn't stopped fretting since we got here. None of us have. You gave us a right fright mate," Gwaine said, in a rare bout of seriousness.  
"Sorry. Morgana isn't shy with a knife you know, it's not my fault! Where actually are we?"  
"No-one's blaming you, idiot. We're with the druids, they've been healing you."  
"You brought me to druids? How did you even find them?"  
"They found us Merlin. Said they were destined to meet us there and started calling you 'Lord Emrys'. The way they talk about you, it's like you're their king or something," laughed Gwaine, pushing Arthur aside to get closer to his friend.  
"Oh great," grumbled Merlin, flushing slightly. "That's embarrassing."

 **Hope you liked it! Please review with any thoughts, questions, I love to hear what you think! x**


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